Michael Tarm, Kathleen Foody and Stephen Groves, The Associated Press Published Wednesday, July 6, 2022 8:43 AM EDT Last Updated on Wednesday, July 6, 2022 12:34 PM EDT
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (AP) – The man accused of killing seven people in an Independence Day parade confessed to police that he fired a barrage of bullets from a rooftop in the Chicago suburbs and then fled to the area of Madison, Wisconsin, where he contemplated holding an event there, authorities said Wednesday.
The suspect returned to Illinois, where he was later arrested, after deciding he was unprepared to carry out a shooting in Wisconsin, said Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli in a press conference after a hearing in which the old man was denied the link.
The shooting of the parade left another American community shaking, this time the affluent Highland Park, which houses about 30,000 people near the shores of Lake Michigan. More than two dozen people were injured, some seriously, and hundreds of protesters, parents and children fled in panic.
Covelli said it did not appear the suspect had planned another attack in Wisconsin, but fled there, saw another Independence Day celebration and “seriously contemplated” firing on it. The assailant had abandoned the rifle he used in Illinois, but was carrying another rifle and about 60 more rounds of ammunition with him, according to Covelli.
Police later found his phone in Middleton, Wisconsin, which is about 135 miles (217 kilometers) from Highland Park.
For hours before his arrest, police warned that the gunman was still at large and should be considered armed and dangerous. Several nearby cities canceled events, such as parades and fireworks.
Lake County State Assistant Attorney Ben Dillon told the court the gunman “looked down, aimed” and fired at people across the street. He left the shells of 83 bullets and three magazines of ammunition on the roof.
Some of the injured remain hospitalized in critical condition, Covelli said, and the death toll could rise further.
Lake County State Attorney Eric Rinehart said he planned to file an attempted murder and aggravated assault with firearm charges for each individual injured.
“There will be many, many more charges,” he said at a news conference, estimating that those charges will be announced later this month.
The suspect, Robert Crimo III, was wearing a long-sleeved black T-shirt when he appeared in court on video. He showed little emotion as the prosecutor described the shooting and said little other than telling the judge he had no lawyer.
On Tuesday, Thomas A. Durkin, a prominent Chicago-based lawyer, said he would represent Crime and intended to plead not guilty to all charges. But Durkin told the court Wednesday he had a conflict of interest to take the case. Crimo has been assigned a public defender.
Rinehart also left open the possibility of charging against Crimo’s parents, telling reporters he “doesn’t want to answer” that question right now as the investigation continues.
Steve Greenberg, Crimo’s parents’ lawyer, told The Associated Press that parents are not worried about being accused of anything to do with their son’s case.
Questions also arose as to how the suspect could have evaded Illinois’ relatively strict gun laws to legally buy five guns, including the high-powered rifle used in the shooting, despite authorities being called home twice. in 2019 for threats of violence and suicide.
Police went to the house after a call from a relative who said Crimo threatened to “kill everyone” there. Covelli said police confiscated 16 knives, a dagger and a sword on Tuesday, but said there was no sign he had weapons at the time, in September 2019.
Police in April 2019 also responded to a reported suicide attempt by the suspect, Covelli said.
Crimo legally bought the rifle used in the attack in Illinois over the past year, Covelli said. In all, police said, he bought five firearms, which were recovered by officers at his father’s home.
The revelation about their gun purchases is just the latest example of young men who were able to obtain weapons and carry out massacres in recent months despite warning signs about their mental health and their propensity to violence.
Illinois State Police, which issues gun owners ’licenses, said Crimo applied for a license in December 2019, when he was 19 years old. His father sponsored his request.
State police have defended how the request was handled, saying at the time “there were not enough grounds to establish a clear and present danger” and have denied the request, state police said in a statement.
Investigators who have questioned the suspect and reviewed his posts on social media have not determined any reason or found any evidence pointing to the victims by race, religion or other state of protection, Covelli said.
The gunman initially dodged the capture by dressing as a woman and mingling with the fleeing crowd, Covelli said.
In 2013, Highland Park officials approved a ban on semi-automatic weapons and large-capacity ammunition depots. A local doctor and the Illinois State Rifle Association quickly challenged the position of the liberal suburb. The legal fight ended at the door of the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015 when judges refused to hear the case and let suburban restrictions remain in place.
When asked if Crimo’s case demonstrates flaws in state law, Rinehart said “the loophole in the state’s gun laws would be that we don’t ban assault weapons.”
Under Illinois law, the purchase of weapons can be denied to people convicted of crimes, narcotics addicts, or those who consider themselves capable of harming themselves or others. The latter provision could have prevented a suicidal crime from obtaining a weapon.
But according to the law, whoever applies this provision must be decided by “a court, board, commission or other legal authority.”
The state has a so-called red flag law designed to stop dangerous people before killing, but requires relatives, family members, roommates or police to ask a judge to order the confiscation of weapons.
Crimo, whose name is Bobby, was an aspiring rapper with the stage name Awake the Rapper, posting dozens of videos and songs on social media, some sinister and violent.
Foody reported from Chicago; Sioux Falls Caves, South Dakota. Associated Press writers Don Babwin in Chicago, Mike Householder in Highland Park, Bernard Condon and Mike Balsamo in New York, Aamer Madhani in Washington, Jim Mustian in New Orleans, Barbara Ortutay in San Francisco, and researcher Rhonda Shafner also contributed. .