Suspect “threatened to kill everyone,” according to family member.
Police have said that the suspect in the Highland Park mass shooting was “known to law enforcement” after two run-ins in 2019.
According to Lake County Major Crimes Task Force spokesman Chris Covelli, in April 2019 Highland Park police were informed that suspect Robert Crimo III had earlier attempted suicide. Police spoke with Crimo and his parents and the matter was handled by mental health professionals, he said.
In September of 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, which said in a news release Tuesday that family members were not willing to file additional complaints.
This fairly recent behavior, particularly in light of the disturbingly violent and homicidal nature of Crimo’s online content, brings into question how he legally obtained the weapons used in the shooting.
According to Covetti, over the next two years Crimo legally purchased five firearms, according to Covelli — a combination of rifles, a pistol and possibly a shotgun. Illinois State Police 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.
In order to buy firearms in Illinois, individuals need a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card. Crimo was under 21, so he was sponsored by his father, state police said. Crimo’s application was not denied because there was “insufficient basis to establish a clear and present danger” at the time.
In other developments:
- Eric Rinehart, state’s attorney for Lake County, announced Tuesday that Crimo is being charged with 7 counts of murder, noting that, if convicted on all counts, this would be sufficient to keep Crimo in prison for life without possibility of parole. Rinehart also indicated that these would be the first of many charges to come.
- Police have announced that the suspect was wearing women’s clothing at the time of the attack, in order to blend in with the fleeing crowd and hide his facial tattoos.
- According to a report in the Times of Israel, the suspect had been witnessed entering a synagogue two blocks from the shooting during the Jewish festival of Passover in April. “During the last Passover holiday, that person entered the Chabad synagogue. We have an armed security guard sitting in front… I approached him and sternly asked him to leave as I noticed he was not a member of our community,” Rabbi Yosef Schanowitz was quoted as saying.
- At a press conference Tuesday morning, Covelli said that the suspect fired more than 70 rounds into the parade, and that the attack had been planned for weeks.
- After the shooting, Covelli said the suspect went to his mother’s house and borrowed her car which he was driving when he was taken into custody.
- Another twist to the story came from the revelation by WGN that the suspect’s father ran against and lost to current Highland Park mayor Nancy Rotering in a 2019 municipal election.
1 Comment
Your spell checker changed FOID to FOIA