Robert E. Crimo III, suspect in shooting near Chicago, charged with 7 counts; could face life in prison

Highland Park, Ill. () — The suspect in Monday’s mass shooting at a July 4 parade in Highland Park, Illinois, that left seven dead and more than two dozen injured, has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder, the county state’s attorney said. of Lake, Eric Rinehart, at a news conference Tuesday night.

If Robert E. Crimo III, 21, is convicted, the charges could lead to a mandatory life sentence, Rinehart said. More charges are expected, Rinehart said, including attempted murder, aggravated murder and aggravated assault charges.

“These are just the first of many charges that will be filed against Mr. Crimo, I want to emphasize that,” Rinehart said, adding that he anticipates “dozens more charges focused on each of the victims.”

Police search a building for the suspect who shot multiple people Monday in Highland Park, Illinois. (Credit: Nam Y. Huh/AP)

Crimo has been in police custody since he was taken into custody Monday night after the shooting.

“Tomorrow morning at the Lake County Courthouse, we will ask a judge to hold Mr. Crimo without the possibility of bail,” Rinehart said.

Attorney Thomas Durkin confirmed to his representation of Crimo.

Attorney Steve Greenberg has been hired to represent Crimo’s parents, Greenberg confirmed to Tuesday night in an email. The attorney issued a statement on Twitter on behalf of the suspect’s parents.

“We are all mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, and this is a terrible tragedy for many families, the victims, parade attendees, the community and our own. Our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to everyone,” the statement read.

Police identified six of the seven fatalities in the shooting early Tuesday.

Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek read the list of names during the news conference. The victims are the following:

• Katherine Goldstein, 64, of Highland Park
• Irina McCarthy, 35, of Highland Park
• Kevin McCarthy, 37, of Highland Park
• Jacquelyn Sundheim, of Highland Park, 63
• Stephen Straus, 88, of Highland Park
• Nicolás Toledo-Zaragoza, 78, from Morelos, Mexico

A seventh victim died at a hospital outside of Lake County, Banek said.

A total of 45 people were killed or injured during the shooting, said Christopher Covelli, spokesman for the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force.

The Background of Shooting Suspect Robert E. Crimo III

The focus of the investigation for the past 36 hours has been on the shooter, but has now shifted to “the victims and those left behind,” Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering said during the news conference.

The release of the names of the victims comes after investigators revealed that the alleged shooter may have planned the attack “for several weeks” and was wearing women’s clothing during the shooting to hide his identity and facial tattoos, and to help him. to leave with the fleeing crowd after the shooting, Covelli said.

“He blended in with everyone else as they ran, almost like (he was) an innocent bystander, too,” Covelli said Tuesday morning at a news conference outside Highland Park police headquarters.

Covelli also revealed Tuesday that Crimo had two previous incidents with police. In April 2019, a person contacted authorities about Crimo’s suicide attempt. Authorities spoke with Crimo and his parents, and the matter was handled by mental health professionals, Covelli said.

Then, in September 2019, a relative 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 his residence. Highland Park Police reported the incident to the Illinois State Police.

“At that time there was no probable cause to arrest. There were no complaints signed by any of the victims,” Covelli said.

Shortly after the September incident, Crimo legally purchased five firearms — a combination of rifles, a pistol and possibly a shotgun — between 2020 and 2021, according to Covelli. To purchase firearms in Illinois, people need a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card. Crimo was under 21, so he was sponsored by his father, state police said in a statement. Crimo’s request was not denied because there was “not a sufficient basis to establish a clear and present danger” at the time.

Police officers investigate the scene of the shooting. (Credit: Tannen Maury/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

Investigators are still trying to determine a motive for Monday’s shooting, Covelli said.

Crimo, authorities believe, used a high-powered rifle “similar to an AR-15” to fire more than 70 rounds into a parade crowd from the roof of a business, which he accessed via a fire escape, Covelli said. .

The sound of gunfire pierced the sunny parade shortly after 10 a.m. CT along the city’s Central Avenue, some 25 miles north of Chicago, causing hundreds of attendees to scatter in terror, abandoning strollers, chairs and paraphernalia with the American flag in the streets. Witnesses described watching in horror as injured people fell around them.

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The carnage marks an already bloody American spring and summer: Over the past 186 days, there have been more than 300 mass shootings in the US, according to data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive, an NGO that tracks such incidents.

“There are no words for the kind of evil that shows up at a public celebration of freedom, hides on a roof and shoots innocent people with an assault rifle,” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said Monday. “It is devastating that an America celebration has been ripped apart by our unique American plague.”

Details about what led investigators to believe the shooting was planned for weeks were not immediately available.

After the shooting, Crimo went to his mother’s house in the area and then left in his mother’s car, Covelli said.

After police determined Crimo was a person of interest in the investigation and released his information and the car they believed he was in, someone spotted the vehicle on US 41 and called 911, Covelli said.

A North Chicago police officer then spotted the vehicle, waited for backup, stopped the car Monday night near Lake Forest, Illinois, and arrested Crimo, authorities said.