Two police officers shot during July Fourth celebration in United States

Two Philadelphia police officers were shot near the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Monday as thousands of people celebrated a Fourth of July concert and fireworks show.

The shooting came hours after a gunman on a rooftop opened fire on families waving flags and children riding bikes at a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, where six people were killed and over 36 were wounded.

Both officers in Philadelphia were released from hospital after suffering non-life threatening injuries, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said adding that police were searching for the shooter. Video from the incident showed hundreds of people running from the Benjamin Franklin Parkway after shots were fired. Kenney said his administration was pleading with lawmakers to stop the flow of guns into the city.

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“Our traditions cannot and will not be ruined by the scourge of gun violence,” he said. The gunfire broke out late on Monday near the Philadelphia Museum of Art on the final day of a festival with a large number of people watching a fireworks show after a concert.

“There is a security incident on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway,” emergency authorities said, referring to the shooting. Police instructed people in surrounding buildings to shelter in place. Philadelphia Police are advising people who are looking to reunite with loved ones on the parkway to meet at the Free Library of Philadelphia and others were asked to avoid the area.