A father put his two-year-old son in a skip as they fled a mass shooting in the US.
Alexander Sandoval hid his boy shortly after suspect Robert E. Crimo III allegedly opened fire in Highland Park, Chicago, Illinois.
At least six people were killed in the massacre, with more than 30 others injured, the Daily Star reports.
Crimo III, 22, reportedly shot at the Fourth of July parade from the roof of an outdoor outfitting store.
Witnesses have described how he picked off children in the crowd.
There was chaos as terrified people fled the scene, running for cover and abandoning items they had brought with them as they attempted to avoid being shot.
The suspected gunman has now been arrested and named as Crimo III.
Mr Sandoval, a construction contractor and local resident, told the New York Times : “When it started happening, I thought it was the Navy saluting the flag. Then I grabbed my kid and we ran and tried to break a store window to get away from it.
“I was punching the, door but couldn’t punch through it. I think the shooter stopped and reloaded, and that’s when I ran around the corner and put my son and little brother in a dumpster, and his dog.”
Tears welled up in his eyes as he explained how he saw a police officer carrying away a small boy, before adding: “It was just terror."
Witnesses have now told how they saw children being picked off in the crowd by the gunman from a rooftop along the route.
A woman, who gave her name only as Zoe, told CNN: “All of a sudden everyone behind us started running. I looked back, probably 20 feet away from me, I saw a girl shot and killed. I saw her die. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement: “There are no words for the kind of monster who lies in wait and fires into a crowd of families with children celebrating a holiday with their community."
More than 36 people were injured, mostly with gunshot wounds, said Jim Anthony, a spokesman for the NorthShore University HealthSystem.
The 26 victims taken to the Highland Park hospital ranged in age from 8 to 85, said Brigham Temple, an emergency room doctor.
Mayor Nancy Rotering told a news conference: "Our community was terrorised by an act of violence that has shaken us to our core.
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"On a day when we came together to celebrate community and freedom, we are instead mourning the tragic loss of life."
Lake County Deputy Chief Covelli said the gunman opened fire from a rooftop. As the manhunt for him continues he told the public: "We're asking everybody to stay indoors. Stay vigilant right now."
Children waving American flags, riding tricycles or enjoying a ride in a wagon pulled by adults froze as people in the crowd screamed when gun shots started, video on social media showed.
