Hours after gunshots disrupted the 4th of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, killing six people and injuring dozens morePolice arrested the man they believe was responsible.
Robert “Bobby” E. Crimo III, 22, has not yet been charged in the shooting, which authorities have said they believe he carried out by climbing onto the roof of a nearby business and opening fire on the parade minutes later. that it started. sending parade goers fleeing for safety.
He was taken into custody shortly after police publicly identified him as a “person of interest” who the FBI said was being “wanted for his alleged involvement in the shooting of multiple individuals” in Highland Park Independence Day Parade. Police captured him near Lake Forest, Illinois, after he led police on a short chase when a North Chicago police officer tried to stop traffic.
After he was detained, authorities also referred to Crimo as a “suspect,” a term that, in this case, was “synonymous” with “person of interest,” said Christopher Covelli, a spokesman for the Task Force against Lake County Major Crime.
Law enforcement officials “processed a significant amount of digital evidence today that helped guide investigators in this direction,” he said.
“This individual is believed to have been responsible for what happened and the investigation will continue,” Covelli said.
This is what we know about him.
HE LEGALLY OBTAINED THE WEAPON USED
Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering believes the gun used by the suspected shooter on Monday was legally purchased, she told CNN’s Adrienne Broaddus on Tuesday.
Covelli previously said evidence of firearms was found on the rooftop of a business near the shooting, describing the weapon as a “high-powered rifle.” At the time, authorities were working to track down the firearm to find out who bought it and its origins, according to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives spokesperson Kim Nerheim.
A total of 26 patients, ranging in age from 8 to 85, were seen at Highland Park Hospital, said Dr. Brigham Temple, medical director of NorthShore University Health System. Four or five patients were children, Temple said.
Nineteen of the 25 shooting victims were treated and released, he said.
POSTED VIOLENT IMAGES ONLINE
The alleged shooter posted music on several major streaming platforms under the pseudonym Awake the Rapper, and reportedly made and posted music videos online with ominous lyrics and animated scenes of gun violence.
In a video titled “Are you Awake”, a cartoon animation of a stick figure shooter resembling the suspect’s appearance is seen wearing tactical gear and performing an attack with a rifle. Crimo, seen with multicolored hair and face tattoos, narrates, “I need to do it. It’s my destiny.”
In another video titled “Toy Soldier,” a stick figure similar to the suspect is shown lying face down on the ground in a pool of his own blood, surrounded by police officers with their guns drawn.
Several of the suspect’s online posts “reflected a plan and a desire to commit carnage well in advance,” Mayor Rotering said in an interview with NBC’s Hoda Kotb on “Today.”
“And it’s one of those things where you take a step back and say, what happened? How did someone get so angry and hateful,” he said, “and then take it out on innocent people who were literally spending a day in family? “
HIS UNCLE DID NOT SEE WARNING SIGNS
Rotering met the suspect years ago, when she was the leader of her Cub Scout pack, she said, telling CNN, “Many years ago, he was just a little boy, a quiet boy that I knew.”
“It breaks my heart. I look at this picture and through the tattoos, I see the little boy,” she said. “I don’t know what got him to this point.”
The suspect’s uncle, Paul A. Crimo, was “heartbroken” to learn his nephew was believed to be responsible for Monday’s shooting, telling CNN, “I saw no signs that he would do this.”
The suspect lived in an apartment behind a house in Highwood, Illinois, owned by his father, said Paul Crimo, who also lives in the house. The last time he saw his nephew was Sunday night, he said, sitting in a recliner in the house and looking at his computer.
“Everything was normal,” he said.
To his knowledge, Crimo did not have a job, Paul Crimo told CNN, although he worked at Panera Bread before the covid-19 pandemic. Paul Crimo said that he had never seen the suspect engage in violence or disturbing behavior. He was also unaware of his nephew’s political views, describing him as a “calm” person.
“He’s usually alone. He’s a lonely, quiet person. He keeps everything to himself.”
The suspect’s father and Paul Crimo’s brother, Robert Crimo Jr., previously ran for mayor, he said. “We are good people here, and to have this is devastating.”
“I am so heartbroken for all the families who lost their lives,” said Paul Crimo.