CHICAGO (AP) – The man accused of opening fire at an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago has been indicted by a grand jury on 21 counts of first-degree murder, 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 of aggravated aggravation, representing the seven people. dead and dozens injured in the attack on a beloved holiday event.
Prosecutors previously filed seven counts of murder against Robert E. Crimo III. They announced the grand jury’s decision Wednesday to indict him on 117 felony counts.
Crimo’s attorneys have not yet filed a formal response to any of the charges he faces in the July 4 shooting in downtown Highland Park, Illinois. A representative of the county public defender’s office, which represents Crimo, said Wednesday that it does not comment publicly on any case.
Prosecutors have said Crimo, 21, admitted to the shooting when police arrested him after an hour-long manhunt on July 4.
Under Illinois law, prosecutors can ask a grand jury to determine whether there is probable cause to proceed to trial. Grand jury proceedings are not open to the public, and defense attorneys cannot cross-examine witnesses.
The multiple counts of first-degree murder allege that Crimo intended to kill, caused death or serious bodily injury and took action with a high probability of causing death or serious bodily injury to the seven people who to die.
Prosecutors said Wednesday that the 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm represent “each victim who was struck by a bullet, bullet fragment or shrapnel.”
“I want to thank the law enforcement officers and prosecutors who presented evidence to the grand jury today,” Lake County Prosecutor Eric Rinehart said in a statement. “Our investigation is ongoing and our victim specialists are working around the clock to support everyone affected by this crime which led to 117 charges being laid.”
Authorities have said the injured range in age from 8 to 80, including an 8-year-old boy who was paralyzed from the waist down when the shooting severed his spine.
In her first public comments since the shooting, the boy’s mother said in a video and written statement released Wednesday that the violence her family and others experienced has taught them “to see the incredibly generous, caring spirit, good and kind that makes up the vast majority of our world.”
Keely Roberts described her son, Cooper Roberts, as “athletic” and “fun-loving,” but said he has a long way to go. Cooper was shot in the back. The bullet tore through his body and severely damaged his aorta, liver, esophagus and spinal cord before exiting through his chest.
Cooper has undergone multiple surgeries and is paralyzed from the waist down.
Cooper’s twin brother, Luke, suffered minor shrapnel injuries, but his mother worries about the impact of seeing her twin so violently injured. She was also injured in the leg.
Roberts said she still sees a bright future for Cooper and thanked parade goers who helped the family after the shooting, along with health care providers and other first responders.
“He’s going to teach a lot of people that the lesson of this is not that one person did this horrible thing,” he said. “The lesson of this is that thousands of people did great things, kind things, and continue to do kind things.”
During a court hearing presenting the murder charges, prosecutors said police found more than 80 spent shell casings on the roof of a building along the parade route and the semi-automatic rifle used in the attack on nearby land
Investigators believe Crimo blended into the fleeing crowd to get away from the scene, then borrowed his mother’s car and briefly contemplated a second attack at a celebration in Madison, Wis., before back to Illinois where the police arrested him.
Crimo is due in court on August 3.
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