Those who fled the scene of Monday’s mass shooting in Highland Park left behind many personal items — strollers, chairs, blankets and more.
Starting at noon Wednesday, some of those items can be picked up at Highland Park High School. But not all of them will be available immediately.
“All personal effects left along the parade route are slowly being evaluated for investigative purposes,” according to the FBI.
Those items that can be picked up will be available at the FBI’s Family Assistance Center, which also opened Wednesday afternoon at the high school, 433 Vine Ave.
Not every personal artifact will be able to be claimed as investigation teams continue to comb through the streets of where the shooting happened.
“Personal affects that were on the parade route are being evaluated by the FBI’s evidence response team — that’s going to take a bit of time,” Lake County Major Crimes Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said Wednesday morning after the suspected shooter, Robert Crimo III, appeared in court via a video link. Crimo has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder, and prosecutors say he has confessed to the crime.
The items were picked up from the parade route along Central Avenue, from 2nd Street to Green Bay Road.
The family assistance center will offer counseling services to anyone affected by the shooting — both those who were wounded or lost someone, or just anyone suffering emotional trauma in the wake of the attack.
Besides counseling and mental health services, the center also will help with spiritual care and financial assistance, if needed.
Hours are Wednesday, noon to 9 p.m.; and Thursday and Friday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday hours are not yet set.
