Robert E. Crimo III, the 21-year-old man suspected of killing seven people and wounding dozens at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, opened fire from a building as the parade got underway just after 10 a.m. CT on Monday, according to authorities.
More than 70 high-velocity rounds were fired by a rifle “similar to an AR-15,” according to Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesperson Chris Covelli, and the gunman then fled the area.
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.
Prior contact with police: Crimo had two encounters with police in 2019 over fears for his safety and that of others, information that prompted the city’s mayor 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.
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 reported the incident to Illinois State Police (ISP,) which said in a news release Tuesday that family members were not willing to file additional complaints.
The knives confiscated by Highland Park police were returned the same day after Crimo’s father claimed they were his, ISP said.
Over the next two years, Crimo legally purchased five firearms, according to Covelli – a combination of rifles, a pistol and possibly a shotgun. ISP confirmed Tuesday that Crimo passed four background checks between June 2020 and September 2021 when purchasing firearms, which included checks of the federal National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
