Prosecutors say that the 21-year old charged with killing seven people in suburban Illinois at a Fourth of July parade confessed to his crime after he was taken into police custody.
Prosecutors presented Wednesday’s first of the voluminous evidence that Robert Crimo III committed the Highland Park shooting aEUR”. This includes a voluntary statement by Crimo to police, in which Crimo admitted to the shooting.
Crimo will be held without bail by the public defender.
Authorities say that no motive has been established.
Wednesday’s court hearing came after a day of revelations regarding Crimo’s past encounters with police aEUR”, and how, despite these, he had passed four background check to legally purchase five guns including the Smith & Wesson M&P 15 semiautomatic gun used in the shooting.
There were many more victims of Monday’s shooting than the seven who died in the attack. Crimo has been formally charged with seven counts each of first-degree murder. Prosecutors claim they will file additional charges regarding the injuries.
“These are only the first of many charges against Mr. Crimo. That is what I want to stress. Eric Rinehart, Lake County State’s Attorney, stated that there will be additional charges.
Prosecutors presented the evidence against Crimo in Wednesday’s hearing. This included multiple eyewitness accounts and cell phone photos and videos, surveillance footage, and physical evidence.
The parade had just begun when the shooting started at 10:14 AM local time. Assistant State’s Attorney Ben Dillon stated that Crimo was seen on a roof overlooking the parade route. A witness said that Crimo “scanning” the crowd with a gun, and that muzzle flashes were coming from the roof.
Surveillance video later captured the suspect fleeing the scene, with a bag strapped to his back.
Dillon claimed that a cloth-wrapped object fell from his bag as he ran. It was later discovered by police to be a Smith and Wesson M&P 15 which Crimo had legally purchased in 2020. Police found three magazines on the roof and 83 shell casings.
Prosecutors said that Crimo, who was taken into custody Monday evening, gave a voluntary confession to police, confessing to the shooting, and identified himself via surveillance video.
Gregory Ticsay will represent Crimo, a Lake County public defense attorney. Following the hearing, Eric Rinehart, Lake County State’s attorney, stated that Crimo will be represented by Gregory Ticsay. An arraignment is likely in August.
Crimo’s parents retained Steve Greenberg as their defense lawyer. He stated Wednesday that Crimo’s parents were being “1000%” cooperative in law enforcement.
Greenberg tweeted, “The parents share the desire to find out all that went wrong so this doesn’t happen again to more innocent children, families, and people.”
Tuesday’s revelation by Lake County officials revealed that Crimo was in two encounters with police in 2019 before he legally acquired his firearms.
In April 2019, the first call was a report that he attempted suicide.
In September 2019, a relative called Highland Park police to report Crimo had “said that he was going out to kill everyone” as well as a large collection of knives. Sgt. Christopher Covelli, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, said Tuesday at a press conference.
Highland Park police took 16 knives, a knife, and a sword from Crimo’s home aEUR”, but did not arrest Crimo, Covelli stated. This was partly because no one in Crimo’s family wanted to sign complaints.
After the incident, Highland Park police reported it to Illinois State Police in a “clear-and-present danger” report.
Crimo didn’t have a FOID card at the time aEUR”, which is required to own a gun and apply for a denial, so the police concluded their involvement in the matter.
Crimo, then 19, applied three months later for a FOID Card. Crimo’s father sponsored his application, which was approved by the state police in January 2020.
Crimo also passed three background checks later that year to buy guns, authorities stated. On his 21st Birthday, Crimo passed a fourth background check.
A second statement was released by the Illinois State Police late Tuesday. It addressed questions about how Crimo obtained a FOID card four months later.
The report stated that police asked the person if he felt the need to harm himself or others when they went to their home. He replied no. “Nobody, not even family, was willing or able to file a complaint. They also did not provide any information about threats to their mental health, which would have allowed law enforcement the ability to take further action.
Crimo’s father also claimed that the knives belonged to him and that they were being kept in his closet “for safetykeeping,” police stated. The Highland Park police later returned the knives to Crimo’s father.
On Tuesday, six victims were identified by authorities: Katherine Goldstein (64); Irina McCarthy (35); Kevin McCarthy (37); Stephen Strauss (88); Jacquelyn Sonnendheim (63); and Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza (78). Officials named Eduardo Uvaldo (69) as the seventh victim on Wednesday.
Authorities said six were from Highland Park and nearby. Toledo-Zaragoza, originally from Morelos in Mexico, was visiting Highland Park with his family for a month. Two of his daughters reside there. Josefina Toledo said, “We are having a difficult time accepting that our dad is no longer here with us.”
Kevin McCarthys and Irina McCarthys had Aiden, a 2-year old boy. He survived the shooting but was later reunited with his grandparents. Irina Colon wrote that Aiden, at two years old was left in an unimaginable situation. He had to live with his grandparents. A GoFundMe fundraiser has raised over $2 million.
