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Stepheny Price

The victim in a fatal plane crash Friday in Washington state has been identified as Retired Maj. Gen. William Anders, the former Apollo 8 astronaut who took the iconic “Earthrise” photo, his son Greg Anders confirmed to The Associated Press.

Just before noon, rescue crews responded to reports of a plane crash in Washington state between Orcas and Jones Island, the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Northwest confirmed. 

“The family is devastated,” Greg Anders told the AP. “He was a great pilot, and we will miss him terribly.”

SMALL PLANE CRASHES IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA, KILLING 2

Close-up of American astronaut William Anders, of NASA’s Apollo 8 mission, during a panel interview held at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, Illinois, April 5, 2018. (J.B. Spector/Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago/Getty Images)

During a telecast on Christmas Eve 1968, the Apollo 8 crew read verses from the first chapter of Genesis and wished viewers, “Good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas and God bless all of you – all of you on the good Earth.” 

Anders took the “Earthrise” photo while in lunar orbit on December 24, 1968, according to NASA. 

William, along with Apollo 8 crew mates, is one of the first three people to have traveled to the Moon. Bill also has a crater on the Moon named in his honor named “The Anders Crater,” according to the Anders Foundation website. 

WASHINGTON PILOT WHO HAD GONE MISSING FOUND DEAD IN PLANE THAT CRASHED IN FORESTED AREA

FILE – This Dec. 24, 1968, file photo made available by NASA shows the Earth behind the surface of the moon during the Apollo 8 mission. Retired Maj. Gen. William Anders, the former Apollo 8 astronaut who took the iconic “Earthrise” photo showing the planet as a shadowed blue marble from space in 1968, was killed Friday, June 7, 2024, when the plane he was piloting alone plummeted into the waters off the San Juan Islands in Washington state. He was 90. (William Anders/NASA via AP, File)

The FAA confirmed to Fox News Digital that the plane that crashed was a vintage Air Force T-34 Mentor and said the only person on board was the pilot. 

SMALL PLANE CARRYING TWO PEOPLE CRASHES IN NASHVILLE SUBURB: POLICE

The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital they are still doing a search and rescue and assisting the Coast Guard. 

Air Station Bellingham and Station Port Angeles are also on-scene and helping with search and rescue. 

UNC HEALTH PILOT, PHYSICIAN HOSPITALIZED AFTER SMALL PLANE CRASH

Portrait of the crew of NASA’s Apollo 8, Florida, December 1968, including command module pilot James Lovell, left, lunar module pilot William Anders, and Commander Frank Borman. (Photo by NASA/Interim Archives/Getty Images)

The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA are investigating the crash.

This is a developing story. 

The Associated Press contributed to this story. 

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wgntv.com

Melissa Espana, Sam Charles, Ben Bradley

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — The gunman accused of fatally shooting seven and wounding over 30 people at a Highland Park Fourth of July parade wore a disguise and blended into the crowd he fired upon before he fled the scene and was eventually caught by police.

At a news conference Tuesday morning, Christopher Covelli, Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman, said 21-year-old Robert “Bobby” Crimo III legally purchased the weapon used in the mass shooting. Crimo was arrested about eight hours after police said he opened fire during the holiday event. A second gun was found in his car following his arrest.

Police said he had planned the attack for weeks and on Monday, was able to access the roof of a business near the parade route and fired over 70 rounds into a panicking crowd.

The downtown parade was disrupted around 10:10 a.m. after shots were fired near Central Avenue and 2nd Street.

Officials said Crimo was wearing a dress and long-haired wig — possibly to hide his distinctive neck and face tattoos — and was able to blend into the crowd, posing as a bystander. After the shooting, he went to his mother’s home where he took her car and left the area. He was caught after someone recognized him and phoned North Chicago police.

WGN Investigates has obtained an image of the suspected parade …

Officials said there was no indication that anyone else acted with him. A motive is currently unknown and charges are still pending.

Covelli addressed rumors that the gunman was targeting the suburb’s large Jewish population and said there is currently no indication that the shooting was racially charged or targeted toward any marginalized group.

Videos that appeared to have been posted online by Crimo are under investigation by police.

No children were killed in the shooting, according to Covelli. All those who were hospitalized were wounded by gunfire.

The NorthShore Hospital group received 38 patients, including at least four to five children. Additionally, Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest said they received nine patients, with six having gunshot wounds.

In an earlier press conference Monday, NorthShore said 19 victims were been treated and released and the total age ranges were from eight to 85 years old. One of the children who were injured had to be airlifted to Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago.

At this time, the exact total number of shooting victims in the incident is unknown. It was confirmed Tuesday that a seventh person had died from the shooting.

On Monday, police addressed rumors that were circulating throughout social media and said there is no indication that the gunman was barricaded or had hostages.

Several suburban firework events were canceled following the shooting.

Anyone with any information, or anyone with video, is urged to call Highland Park police at 847-432-7730 or you can submit a tip to fbi.gov/highlandpark.

https://wgntv.com/news/highland-park-parade-shooting/charges-to-be-announced-in-highland-park-mass-shooting/

This plane came straight down and you can see a large black plume of smoke coming from the tail and two smaller ones before it crashes into the ground. I’m wondering if it was hit by a missile and lost its tail.