Bystanders flee after hearing shots fired at Illinois 4th of July parade
Robert Crimmo, the suspect in the mass shooting at the Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois, was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder on Tuesday.
If convicted, he faces life in prison without parole. More charges, including potential federal ones, are expected to be announced in the coming days and weeks.
Authorities say the July 4 massacre is not the first time the 21-year-old has been involved in violence. In 2019, Mr. Crimo threatened to “kill everyone” in his home, authorities revealed.
Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon that officers were called to the home of Robert E Crimo in September 2019 and seized several knives but did not arrest the suspect.
Mr. Crimo is suspected of scaling a fire escape and firing more than 70 rounds into a crowd at a July 4 parade from the roof of a business, killing five at the scene, fatally wounding two and injuring dozens.
He was arrested about eight hours later after an intensive manhunt.
Photo of Robert Crimo dressed as a woman to escape the area of the mass shooting
(WGN9)
Mr Covelli previously said the suspect had “planned his attack for several weeks” and dressed in women’s clothing as a disguise so he could slip under the radar while fleeing the scene.
The names of six of the seven victims have been released: Katherine Goldstein, 64, Irina McCarthy, 35, Kevin McCarthy, 37, Jacqueline Sundheim, 63, Steven Strauss, 88, and Nicolas Toledo-Zaragosa, 78.
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Watch: How the Highland Park shooting played out on the ground
Fourth of July celebrations descended into bloody chaos in the Illinois town of Highland Park as gunshots rang out amid festive music and screaming onlookers ran for their lives.
Appearing to have been filmed on the mobile phone of a teenage reveler, the video begins by showing families sitting on the curb watching a marching band pass by.
But suddenly members of the group broke into a run and sprinted in the direction of the parade route as onlookers started jumping off the ground.
Josh Marcus July 6, 2022 4:00 am
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Community members are shocked when Robert Crimmo is charged in the Highland Park shooting
Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering revealed she once served as a Cub Scout leader for Robert Crimo, the 22-year-old man charged with seven counts of murder for the Fourth of July mass shooting that left seven dead and dozens injured.
Speaking to NBC’s Today host Hoda Kotb on Tuesday morning, Ms. Rotering explained that she could not say whether Mr. Crimo was known to the authorities before the Independence Day shooting, but that she knew him personally several years ago , when she worked as a Cub Scout leader in the area.
“I know him as someone who was a Cub Scout when I was a Cub Scout leader,” Ms. Rotering said. “And it’s one of those things where you step back and say, ‘What happened?’ How could someone become so angry, so hateful, that they would then take this out on innocent people who were literally just having a family day out ?”
When the host pressed her on whether she had any specific memories of Mr. Crimo from when he was a little boy, the mayor kept his response sharp but short: “He was just a little boy.”
Johanna Chisholm has more.
Josh Marcus July 6, 2022 3:30 am
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What does Robert Crimo’s ’47’ tattoo mean?
The 21-year-old suspected of opening fire at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade appears to have an obsession with the number 47.
Police believe Robert “Bobby” Crimo III was dressed in a wig and women’s clothing before using a high-powered rifle to fire more than 70 shots into a crowd in suburban Chicago on Monday morning, killing six and injuring dozens.
Mr. Crimo left an extensive digital trail in which the aspiring rapper, who performed under the alter ego Awake, frequently referenced the number 47.
He also had a number tattooed on the side of his face and it was also painted on the door of a car parked outside his family home.
Bevan Hurley knows the details.
Josh Marcus July 6, 2022 3:00 am
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Republicans are already spreading conspiracy theories about the Highland Park shooting
Marjorie Taylor Green admitted to circulating a photoshopped photo while doubling down on a series of baseless claims about the July 4th parade mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois.
The Georgia representative, a first-term member of Congress known for promoting outlandish conspiracy theories, began her outlandish claims hours after Monday’s shooting, when she suggested that suspected shooter Robert Crimmo’s rampage might be due to the misuse of illegal drugs or the side effects of commonly-used antidepressants.
Despite the lack of publicly available evidence that Mr. Crimo had used any drugs, Ms. Green took to Twitter late Monday to say that anyone who disagreed with her claims was part of a cover-up on behalf of the pharmaceutical industry.
“When are we going to have an honest conversation about drug abuse, mental illness and SSRIs…and the deadly side effects. Are we really going to keep pretending? Or covering Big Pharma? Because I am completely done with the political games on this matter [bulls***],” she wrote. SSRIs—selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors—are drugs that are often used as antidepressants.
Andrew Feinberg has the full report.
Josh Marcus July 6, 2022 2:30 am
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WATCH: Highland Park officer calls for assault weapons ban
Eric Rinehart, the Lake County state’s attorney, called on Illinois and the U.S. as a whole to ban slot machines.
Mr. Rinehart, himself a Highland Park resident, said Illinois already has a strong red flag law, but more needs to be done to avoid more gun tragedies.
“All the people who died a few steps away lost their freedom, all of it. Every ounce of freedom they had. The freedom to love. The freedom to learn. And the freedom to live a full life,” said the state prosecutor. “Their freedom matters too. We must do more as we think and reflect on their freedom this July 5th.
Josh Marcus July 6, 2022 2:00 am
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Robert Crimmo: Videos of Beheadings, Glorifying School Shootings, and Craze for 47
Robert Crimmo’s penchant for violence appears to have left the online world and entered the real lives of innocent families, friends and locals who came to watch the July 4th parade in Highland Park.
Rachel Sharp knows the details.
Josh Marcus July 6, 2022 1:40 am
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What we know so far about the victims of the Highland Park mass shooting
A doting grandfather, a married couple with a two-year-old son and a preschool teacher are among the seven victims fatally wounded in the Independence Day mass shooting in Highland Park.
Josh Marcus July 6, 2022 1:20 am
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Photo emerges of Robert Crimo disguised in women’s clothing to escape Highland Park shooting
The suspect in the Highland Park shooting had “pre-planned his attack for several weeks” and wore women’s clothing as a disguise so he could flee the scene of the mass shooting where he had just killed six victims, according to law enforcement.
Josh Marcus July 6, 2022 1:00 am
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WATCH: State police explain why they didn’t stop Robert Crimo from buying guns
Earlier today, the Illinois State Police explained how Robert Crimo III was able to legally apply for a gun ownership card.
Josh Marcus July 6, 2022 12:45 am
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Should the officers have done more to stop Robert Crimo from getting a gun?
At the time he allegedly carried out the Highland Park shooting, Robert Crimo, 21, had five guns, including two rifles, handguns and possibly a shotgun, according to police.
At this stage of the investigation, officers say it appears Mr. Crimo purchased the guns legally in the Chicago area.
That’s despite two troubling incidents in 2019, when Mr. Crimo allegedly attempted suicide and later threatened to kill his entire family, and an Illinois “red flag” law designed to hold weapons away from people at risk of violence.
Illinois State Police say that because none of the 2019 incidents resulted in charges, arrests or firearms being seized, there wasn’t enough to declare a clear and present danger and deny the FOID application.
Josh Marcus July 6, 2022 12:29 am
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