CONCORD, N.C. — A Christmas parade is the start of the holiday season in Concord and a lot of people look forward to it.
Concord Police were well represented in the parade after a very busy Friday evening, and a lot of well wishers came out to watch.
“I don’t know if it’s the stubbornness in me, but I don’t think I thought twice about coming,” said Concord resident John Hernandez.
Friday it was complete chaos when shots rang out around 7:30 p.m., just before the Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
A lot of kids were watching, like 8-year-old Cameron Cuff.
“We just heard like six gunshots and we just ran,” Cuff said. “It was so scary. We were hiding behind a bush.”
“What was really devasting was seeing everybody’s panic face and parents hiding their kids,” said resident Melissa France. “That was horrible.”
Some thought had been given to canceling the parade but overnight Concord Police made significant progress on the case.
All of the suspects are either in the hospital or in custody. Those are reasons why city leaders gave the parade the green light.
“Until we could get through all that information, we couldn’t make that decision. Once we did we came out and announced that yes, the parade would go on and encouraged our citizens to come,” said Mayor William C. “Bill” Dusch.
“I’ve been on this street for about 13 years now,” said Frank Caraccio, a restaurant owner.
He owns Not Just Franks, a restaurant a few doors down from where the shooting took place. Caraccio noticed a dip in parade attendance.
“Even today was a little bit below the normal parade route that would normally happen, but I certainly believe that the community will bounce back and I pray it will never happen again,” he said.
The parade was uneventful, just like the organizers had hoped for. As far as Friday night, police continue to keep a lot of information close to the chest.
For example, we don’t know what sparked the violence or how the suspects are connected to each other.
WATCH: 4 hurt during shooting at Concord Tree Lighting Ceremony
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