Highland Park suspects Robert Crimo bought a gun, planned a disguise
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. – The police say he legally purchased a high-powered rifle, disguised as women’s clothes, and climb to the roof. He then allegedly opened fire during a July 4 parade in an affluent Chicago suburb, killing seven people and injuring dozens.
But the motive behind the latest US mass shooting – an attack that authorities say was “well staged and carefully planned” for weeks – remains a puzzle for the investigators and broken communities.
Authorities on Tuesday night announced they had charged Robert “Bobby” Crimo III, 21 years old, with seven counts of first-degree murder. Dozens of other lower fees are expected. Police did not provide any explanation for the attack.
“We have not developed a motive from him,” said Deputy Sheriff Christopher Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, adding that there was no clear indication that the attack was due to race or religion. teacher. “By all indications, it appears that Crimo has acted on his own.”
Investigators said that shortly after shooting into the crowd, Crimo dressed in women’s clothes and left a rifle on the rooftop, better able to blend in and escape.
Police said Crimo appeared then drove to neighboring Wisconsin after the shooting, but returned and was arrested nearby “without incident” after a short car chase a short distance from the scene of the incident. fired about 5 km.
Lake County Attorney Eric F. Rinehart said Tuesday night that the seven counts of first-degree murder are just the first of many charges Crimo will face, an announcement made by community members. enthusiastically cheered.
Rinehart called Crimo’s attack “a carefully orchestrated and planned crime” but declined to elaborate. He said he would ask a judge Wednesday morning to keep Crimo in jail without the possibility of bail.
“We anticipate dozens of more crimes that revolve around each victim — psychological victim, physical victim,” said Rinehart. “These seven counts of first-degree murder will result in a mandatory life sentence if he is convicted, without the possibility of parole.”
Property records, school information and family friends indicate Crimo grew up in the Highland Park area, attended Highland Park High School as a freshman for a year 2015-2015, and attended a local non-state Christian church for at least four years.
LATEST UPDATES:Gunman fired 70 rounds, planning attack for weeks, police say
Authorities on Tuesday also revealed Crimo was reported to police twice in 2019, first in April for a suicide attempt, and then in September when a family member reported it. police that Crimo “will kill people” and has a collection of knives.
Police confiscated knives, a dagger and a sword from his home, Covelli said of the September 2019 incident.
Illinois State Police Sgt. Delila Garcia said the individual at the time did not have a Firearm Owner Identification Card, which identifies a person as eligible to own/purchase a firearm, for recall or review.
This April, Crimo entered a nearby synagogue, said Rabbi Yosef Schanowitz, co-director of North Suburban Lubavitch Chabad – Central Avenue Synagogue.
Schanowitz told USA TODAY on Tuesday that authorities had asked him not to talk about specifics but confirmed that Crimo, whom he noted has facial tattoos and is not a member of the church. congregation, were asked to leave shortly after entering the Passover. Like many other synagogues, the Central Avenue Synagogue is guarded by armed security for the duration of the operation, Schnowitz said.
Charlotte Bank, who attended a vigil for victims on Tuesday afternoon, said she knew Crimo from small group gatherings on Thursday night and Sunday services at Christ Church Highland Park, a non-denominational church.
Bank said Crimo is quiet and usually only makes superficial comments when he speaks. She did not know about his personal life, although she had known him through church for about four years.
She said she attended the vigil because she wanted to “reconcile her own feelings” about the man she knew from the church group and the shooter she saw on the news.
Crimo’s father, Robert Crimo Jr., 58, owns the nearby Bob’s Pantry & Deli restaurant, records show, and Crimo Jr ran for mayor of Highland Park in 2019. Election records in Lake County , Illinois, showing he lost to the current mayor, who won 72% of the vote.
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Police recover two rifles owned by Crimo
Covelli said the rifle recovered from the scene of the shooting was “similar to the AR-15” that used high-speed bullets and appeared to have no modifications.
Crimo legally purchased two rifles from different locations and was in his name in the Chicagoland area, Covelli said. One was found at the scene and the second was in his car. Other legally purchased firearms were recovered from his residence.
The agency’s spokeswoman Kimberly Nerheim said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives quickly tracked down the rifle left at the scene to determine its history.
Crimo planned the attack for several weeks before firing more than 70 rounds into the crowd and then leaving the rifle behind. Covelli said. He and other investigators declined to say why they believe the attack was planned so long ago, or why the rifle was left behind.
“There are several theories as to why he left his weapon there,” Covelli said. “Investigators were very clear that he was trying to blend in with the rest of the victims who were fleeing the scene. Carrying a rifle, I would imagine, wouldn’t let anyone in. The weapon was directly directed at him.”
Crimo’s uncle, Paul Crimo, told Fox 32 he just saw his grandson the day before in the house which he shared with his brother. The suspect lived in a separate apartment and Paul Crimo said he did not know where he got the weapon.
The suspect is a rapper with a big online footprint
Paul Crimo said the suspect is a rapper and artist who has no job but has previously worked at Panera Bread. “He was a really quiet kid. Keep things to yourself,” says Paul Crimo, and he is often at his computer. “I am deeply saddened,” he said. USA TODAY could not immediately reach Paul Crimo for comment.
Crimo has performed under the name “Awake the Rapper” and posted to YouTube and other platforms many violent videos, including a man with a rifle shooting people. Another video he posted shows a cartoon character carrying a rifle and face down in a pool of blood, surrounded by police officers.
Crimo also posted a photo of a newspaper clipping on his bedroom wall referring to the death of Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated President John F. Kennedy with a rifle from an elevated location on November 1963. Authorities say the Highland Park shooter shot at the 4th of July festival from the rooftop of a building.
Kesa White, a program research associate at American University’s Extremism and Polarity Research and Innovation Lab.
Studies of whites are, in part, how people become radicalized online. She said his videos show him wanting to be “seen,” in the same way that facial tattoos signal his desire to be noticed and stand out.
White told USA TODAY: “In his posts on all social media platforms, he definitely shows a willingness to commit more violence than we see, because he is very clear. about that. “Many shooters have online profiles but don’t show themselves clearly or present themselves at political events like we’re seeing with this shooter.”
White has nothing to do with the investigation.
Scott Bonn, an author and criminology expert, said Crimo’s actions likely came after months or years of anger and frustration. He said Crimo, like many other mass shooters, was perhaps motivated by a toxic cocktail of gun rights, fierce individualism, vengeance and a culture of vigilante justice. glorified in popular entertainment. Bonn is a blogger for Psychology Today and the author of the book “Why We Love Serial Killers.”
“Mass public shootings are committed by angry, revengeful individuals who seek retribution against certain people, groups or organizations for harmful behavior,” Bonn said. or unfair to them. They don’t deal with it.” “Their anger simmers until it flares up and then they plan to strike back and make their mark on society.”
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Bennett Brizes posted on Twitter that he did music with Crimo from 2015 to 2018 and suggested that he was not a political person, at least at the time. He talked to washington articles and said the two had drifted apart and stopped talking around 2019, and when they spoke early last year, Crimo seemed “depressed”.
USA TODAY is unable to contact Brizes via email and social media.
Violent video connected to Crimo removed from YouTube after filming
Violent videos that appeared to be connected to Crimo were removed from YouTube within hours of the shooting. The account that posted the video has been suspended. YouTube did not immediately return USA TODAY’s request for comment.
In the video for the song “Out of This World” by Awake the Rapper, the drawings depict a gunman wearing a tactical vest and carrying a semi-automatic rifle, surrounded by corpses on his face. soil. When he took aim, a faceless figure raised his hand in surrender. The gunman wears a helmet with a Go-Pro-style camera attached. Other images of the characters appear to be suffering as the voice raps: “I just want to scream. Sometimes it feels like I’m living in a dream.”
When asked by a reporter at a press conference about possible struggles in Crimo’s youth, Covelli said, “We will reach out to everyone we possibly can… for whether it’s family members, teachers, friends.”
Contributors: Grace Hauck, USA TODAY, Sophie Carson, USA TODAY Network
Chris Kenning is a national news writer. Contact him at [email protected] and on Twitter @chris_kenning.