Father describes hiding his son in a dumpster in Highland Park to protect him from mass shooting that killed 6

• A father resorted to putting his son in a dumpster at the Highland Park shooting to protect him.
• Alexander Sandoval, 39, described fleeing from gunshots as the July 4th parade became a massacre.

A father who fled the mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, described using a garbage dumpster as shelter for his family during Monday's mass shooting.

The Illinois city's July 4th parade was turned into a massacre by a gunman who opened fire soon after the event began. Six people had died and at least were 31 injured as of late Monday, according to police.

Alexander Sandoval, 39, told The New York Times that he was at the parade with his six-year-old son, as well as his partner, her five-year-old daughter, and their dog. They had set up chairs to get a good view, he said.

Sandoval at first thought gunfire sounds was part of the celebration. "I thought it was the Navy saluting the flag," he told The Times.

Speaking to CBS58, Sandoval described the scene as the shots continued. "It just didn't stop. Kept on shooting and shooting and then we saw people start falling into the middle and people start running."

Separated from his partner and her daughter, he said he looked for shelter, including by trying to smash a store window and to break through a door. "I was punching the door but couldn't punch through it," he told the Times.

"So I kept running and ran into an alley and put my son in a garbage dumpster so he could be safe," he said to the Chicago Sun-Times. He told the Times he also put a "little brother" and a dog in the dumpster.

Later he said he saw victims with blood pooled around them, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. His partner and her daughter were safe in a nearby McDonald's, the paper reported.

A doctor at the scene told NBC News that the injuries he witnessed were "horrific." Their wounds were "the kind of injuries you probably see in wartime," said Dr David Baum.

A person of interest, a 22-year-old man, was arrested after a two-hour search. Officials say they have recovered a "high-powered rifle" from a rooftop.