HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (AP) – A Chicago suburban prosecutor said Tuesday that the gunman accused of attacking an Independence Day parade has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder.
Lake County Attorney Eric Rinehart promised dozens more charges would be sought. He added that the suspect, if convicted of murder, would receive a mandatory life sentence with no possibility of parole.
THIS IS A LATEST NEWS UPDATE. The previous AP story is below.
The gunman who attacked an Independence Day parade in the Chicago suburbs, killed at least seven people, legally bought two high-powered rifles and three more weapons despite authorities being called home twice on 2019 after threatening suicide and violence, police said on Tuesday.
A spokesman for the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force said at a news conference that the alleged shooter, who was arrested Monday night, used a high-powered rifle “similar to an AR-15” to spray more than 70 cartridges from the top of a commercial building. in a crowd that had gathered for the parade in Highland Park, an affluent community of about 30,000 on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Police said they were called to the suspect’s home in September 2019 after a family member called to tell him he was threatening to “kill everyone” there. Working group spokesman Christopher Covelli said police confiscated 16 knives, a dagger and a sword, but said there were no signs he had weapons at the time.
The suspect 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.
Police in April 2019 also responded to a reported suicide attempt by the suspect, Covelli said.
It was unclear whether Crimo’s previous contacts with police would have prevented him from obtaining an Illinois gun owner’s license. State police, which issues the licenses, did not immediately respond to a message from The Associated Press asking about their eligibility.
The day after the shooting, authorities reported the death of a seventh person. More than three dozen more people were injured in the attack, which Covelli said the suspect had planned for several weeks.
Investigators who have questioned the suspect and reviewed his posts on social media have not determined the motive for the attack or found any clues targeting the victims by race, religion or other state of protection, he said. Covelli.
Authorities have not filed criminal charges.
In the early hours of the day, FBI agents looked in the trash and under picnic blankets as they searched for more evidence at the spot where the assailant opened fire. The shootings were initially mistaken for fireworks before hundreds of partygoers fled in terror.
A day later, baby strollers, lawn chairs and other items left by those in the panic parade were left within a wide police perimeter. Outside the police tape, some residents went to pick up blankets and chairs they left behind.
David Shapiro, 47, said the spray of gunfire quickly turned the parade into “chaos.”
“People didn’t know right away where the shot was coming from, whether the gunman was in front of or behind you chasing you,” he said Tuesday as he retrieved a pram and lawn chairs.
The shooting was only the last to break the rituals of American life. Schools, churches, grocery stores and now community parades have become death grounds in recent months. This time, the bloodshed came when the nation was trying to find reasons to celebrate its founding and the bonds that still hold it together.
“It’s definitely a lot harder when it’s not only your hometown, but you’re also in front of you,” resident Ron Tuazon said as he and a friend returned to the parade route Monday evening to retrieve chairs, blankets and a children’s bike he had. abandoned family when the shooting began.
“It’s common now,” Tuazon said. “It simply came to our notice then. Until the laws change, it will be more of the same. “
A police officer stopped Robert E. Crimo III north of the shooting scene several hours after police posted his photo and warned he was probably armed and dangerous, the Highland Park police chief said. Lou Jogmen.
Law officials gave his age as 21 or 22 years. His father, Bob, a longtime charcuterie owner, ran for mayor in 2019.
After evading the initial capture by dressing as a woman and mingling with the fleeing crowd, Crimo drove to the Madison, Wisconsin area, and then returned to Illinois, Covelli said.
The shooting occurred at a point along the parade route where many residents had located privileged views in the early hours of the day.
Among them was Nicolas Toledo, who from Mexico visited his family in Illinois. He was shot and died at the scene, his granddaughter, Xochil Toledo, told the Chicago Sun-Times. Jacki Sundheim, a lifelong congregation member and “beloved” staff member of the nearby North Shore Congregation Israel, was also killed, announcing her death on her website.
Toledo’s granddaughter told the Sun-Times that Toledo had spent most of her life in Morelos, Mexico. Xochil Toledo said he remembers looking at his grandfather, who was 70, when a band passed them by.
“He was so happy,” he said. “Happy to live the moment.”
Xochil Toledo said his father tried to protect his grandfather and was shot in the arm. Her boyfriend was also shot in the back and taken to a hospital.
Sundheim had spent decades on North Shore Congregation Israel staff, teaching at the congregation’s preschool and then coordinating events, “all with untiring dedication,” the congregation said in a statement announcing its death.
“Jacki’s hard work, kindness and warmth touched us all,” the statement said.
The Lake County coroner released the names of four other victims: Katherine Goldstein, 64, Irina McCarthy, 35, Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Stephen Straus, 88.
Nine people, aged between 14 and 70, remained hospitalized on Tuesday, hospital officials said.
Since the beginning of the year, the United States has seen 15 shootings in which four or more people were killed, including in Highland Park, according to The Associated Press / USA TODAY / Noreastern University’s mass murder database.
Dozens of smaller-scale shootings in nearby Chicago also left eight people dead and 60 more injured over the weekend of July 4th.
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.
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.
In an animated video since YouTube removed him, Crimo talks about armies “walking in the dark” while a drawing of a man pointing a rifle, a body on the ground and another figure with his hands in the distance appears.
Federal agents were reviewing Crimo’s online profiles, and a preliminary examination of his history on the Internet indicated that he had investigated mass murders and had downloaded several photos depicting violent acts, including a beheading, an official said. order.
The officer was unable to discuss the details of the investigation publicly and spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Shapiro, the Highland Park resident who fled the parade with his family, said his 2-year-old son woke up screaming later that night.
“He’s too young to understand what happened,” Shapiro said. “But he knows something bad has happened.”
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Foody reported from Chicago. Groves reported from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Associated Press writers Don Babwin in Chicago, Mike Householder in Highland Park and Mike Balsamo in New York also contributed.