The American man accused of killing seven people in an Independence Day parade confessed to police that he carried out the mass shooting from a rooftop in the suburbs of Chicago and then fled to the area of Madison, Wisconsin, where he contemplated holding an event there, according to authorities. dit.
The suspect returned to Illinois, where he was later arrested, after deciding he was unprepared to make another attack in Wisconsin, said Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli in a press conference after a hearing on Wednesday (AEST Thursday). where the 21-year-old man was denied bail.
The shooting of the parade rocked another American community, this time the rich 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.
The Chicago shooting suspect has confessed to killing seven people and faces life in prison without parole. (AP)
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 semi-automatic rifle he used in Illinois, but carried with him another similar rifle and about 60 more cartridges, according to Covelli.
Police later found his phone in Middleton, Wisconsin, which is about 215 miles 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. Most of the festivities in and around the Wisconsin capital went on.
Lake County State Attorney Ben Dillon told the court the gunman climbed the fire escape of a building above the Highland Park parade, “he looked down, he aimed “and fired at people across the street. He left the shells of 83 bullets and three magazines of ammunition on the roof.
Dozens of bad guys gather for a vigil near Central Avenue and St. Johns Avenue in downtown Highland Park, Chicago, after the July 4 mass shooting. (AP)
At first, he dodged the capture by disguising himself as a woman and mingling with the fleeing crowd, according to police.
Some of the injured remain hospitalized in critical condition, Covelli said, and the death toll could rise further. Already, the deaths from the shooting have left a two-year-old child without parents, families mourning the loss of their beloved grandparents and a synagogue mourning the death of a congregant who for decades had also worked on staff.
Lake County Attorney Eric Rinehart said he planned to file an attempted murder and aggravated battery charges for each injured individual.
“There will be many, many more charges,” he said at a news conference, estimating that those charges will be announced later this month.
FBI forensic experts at the scene of the Chicago shooting where seven people were killed. (AP)
If convicted of first-degree murder charges, the gunman would receive a mandatory life sentence with no possibility of parole.
The suspect, Robert Crimo III, was wearing a long-sleeved black T-shirt when he appeared in court on video. As the prosecutor described the shooting, he said little other than to tell the judge he had no lawyer.
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.