Highland Park parade shooting: Suspect to appear in court as questions mount

On Jul 6, 2022

Robert E. Crimo III, 21, faces seven counts of first-degree murder “for the killing spree he has unleashed against our community,” Lake County, Illinois, State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said at a news conference Tuesday. A conviction would result in a sentence of life imprisonment without parole, he said. Illinois abolished capital punishment in 2011.

“These are just the first of many charges that will be filed against Mr. Crimo. I want to emphasize that,” Rinehart said, and prosecutors will ask a judge to deny bail.

The suspect, according to authorities, opened fire from a rooftop in Highland Park as the parade got underway just after 10 a.m. CT on Monday. More than 70 high-velocity rounds were fired with a rifle “similar to an AR-15,” said Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesperson Chris Covelli.

Crimo dressed in women’s clothing, investigators believe, to conceal his identity. He left the roof and blended in with the fleeing crowd to escape the area, Covelli said.

Five of the people shot at the parade were pronounced dead at the scene, officials said, and two people hospitalized succumbed to wounds. A total of 39 patients were transported to medical facilities “by either ambulance or other means,” according to Jim Anthony with NorthShore University Health System, and nine patients — whose ages range from 14 to in their 70s — remained hospitalized as of Tuesday afternoon.

Crimo allegedly had another rifle in his vehicle when he was pulled over by police hours after the shooting, Covelli said, and other firearms were recovered from his residence in nearby Highwood.

Crimo is believed by authorities to have planned the attack for weeks, and the rifle used appears to have been purchased legally in Illinois, he said.

Yet information released by state and local police shows the suspect previously required officer intervention over threats of violence and mental health concerns.

Complete coverage of the Highland Park shooting

Chairs, bicycles, strollers and balloons were left behind at the scene of the mass shooting in Highland Park.

Suspect had prior contact with police

Crimo had two encounters with police in 2019 over fears for his safety and that of others, information that prompted Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering to wonder how Crimo was able to later legally obtain firearms.

The Highland Park Police Department received a report in April 2019 that Crimo had earlier attempted suicide, Covelli said Tuesday. Police spoke with Crimo and his parents and the matter was handled by mental health professionals, he said.

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In September that year, a family member reported that Crimo threatened “to kill everyone,” and had a collection of knives, Covelli said. Police removed 16 knives, a dagger and a sword from their residence.

Highland Park police submitted a “Clear and Present Danger” report about the visit to the Illinois State Police, the state agency said. Family members were not willing to file additional complaints, the state police said in a Tuesday news release.

The knives confiscated by Highland Park police were returned the same day after Crimo’s father claimed they were his, the state police said.

Over the next two years, Crimo legally purchased five firearms, according to Covelli — including rifles, a pistol and possibly a shotgun. State police…

Highland Park parade shooting: Suspect to appear in court as questions mount

Suspect had prior contact with police

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