[Note: Our coverage of the Highland Park shooting intentionally omits the name of the alleged shooter as previous perpetrators have indicated “fame” as a motiving factor in their crimes.]
According to a report by the Associated Press, the father of the alleged shooter in the Highland Park mass shooting on July 4th last year has been indicted by a Grand Jury on 7 counts of reckless conduct.
The father, a well-known figure in Highland Park, is out on bail of $50,000.
In 2019, the father helped his son obtain a gun license years before the shooting in Highland Park, even though the then-19-year-old had allegedly attempted suicide by machete and was accused by a family member of making threats to “kill everyone” that same year.
“Parents and guardians are in the best position to decide whether their teenagers should have a weapon,” Rinehart was quoted by AP as saying after the father’s arrest. “In this case, the system failed when Robert Crimo Jr. sponsored his son. He knew what he knew and he signed the form anyway.”
Each count of felony reckless conduct carries with it a maximum sentence of 3 years.