Fourth of July Massacre: What We Know So far About The Highland Park Shooting
06:11 GMT 05.07.2022 (Updated: 08:42 GMT 05.07.2022)
© AP Photo / Nam Y. Huh
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Authorities spent hours on Monday searching for a man who had opened fire on a Fourth of July celebration in Chicago that left six individuals dead and dozens wounded. Police finally apprehended the suspect, after a "significant amount of digital evidence" had led them to the individual believed to be responsible.
A shooting rampage at a Fourth of July parade in a Chicago suburb has left six people dead and dozens nursing injuries. After a lengthy search, police took a suspect into custody on Monday evening. This is what is known so far about the deadly events and the supposed perpetrator:
Gunshots Over Fireworks
The shooting in Highland Park, an affluent, suburban area with a population of 30,000, about 25 miles north of Chicago, began less than 15 minutes after the start of the Fourth of July parade.
The celebrations started at 10am (local time). Those taking part in the parade were moving along Central Avenue, when the sudden ring of gunfire was heard. Witnesses cited by media outlets claim they first thought they were hearing fireworks or firecrackers that were part of the festivities.
One witness said he heard what he believed was about 20 to 30 gunshots, in consecutive spurts of gunfire, at about 10:20am. Videos of the carnage posted by media publications also appear to show the gunman unleashing a barrage of bullets, then pausing, presumably to reload, and resuming fire.
Videos from the parade posted online showed people running for cover while the music continued to play. Fleeing witnesses have described seeing lifeless bodies lying in pools of blood along the parade route.
According to Lake County deputy chief Christopher Covelli, the gunman had climbed onto a rooftop using an unsecured ladder attached to the building. He then took aim and fired his weapon at around 10:14am.
Six people died in the shooting, five of them adults who were killed at the scene. Their ages have not been disclosed. The sixth fatality died in hospital.
Another 20 patients aged between eight and 85 were rushed to hospital, according to Dr Brigham Temple, medical director of emergency preparedness for NorthShore University HealthSystem, as cited by media outlets.
He added that four-fifths of the patients were children, with one in critical condition who was later airlifted to a children's hospital in Chicago. Nineteen of the gunshot victims admitted were treated and later discharged. The injured individuals had sustained gunshot wounds to extremities as well as around the torso, Temple was cited as saying.
The shooting triggered a large police response of local, state and federal officers. A high-powered rifle was recovered by police from the scene, and authorities worked to trace its origins, according to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) spokeswoman Kimberly Nerheim.
Police issued a description of the "person of interest" - a white male with long dark hair, thin build, weighing about 120 pounds, and 5ft 11in tall, dressed in a white or blue T-shirt - and warned that he was "armed and dangerous".
His tattoos, according to the authorities, include "four tally marks with a line through them on his right cheek, red roses and green leaves on his neck, and cursive script above his left eyebrow". They also released an image of the suspect’s silver Honda Fit, and urged the public to submit images and videos taken at the parade.
‘Armed & Dangerous’
The suspect in the mass shooting was taken into custody near Lake Forest, Illinois, said authorities during a news conference on Monday night.
By then they had identified him as Robert E Crimo III. A North Chicago officer tried a traffic stop after spotting Crimo at about 6:30pm at the intersection of Route 41 and Buckley Road, police said.
BREAKING: Crimo, III, has been taken into custody after North Chicago Police spotted his vehicle. He was taken into custody without incident in Lake Forest. @ABC7Chicago pic.twitter.com/Jg9UXyjRNx
— Tre Ward ABC 7 (@TreWardTV) July 4, 2022
Law enforcement currently circling and inspecting vehicle driven by person of interest, 22-yo Robert “Bobby” Crimo III
— Marissa Parra (@MarParNews) July 5, 2022
He’s now in custody related to #HighlandPark parade mass shooting that killed at least 6
LIVE NOW: https://t.co/vEMDs0BRQH | @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/kHdev8CGSy
Crimo tried to escape, driving five miles north of the shooting site before he was arrested shortly before 7pm on Monday, according to Highland Park Police Chief Lou Jogmen. He was taken into custody and transferred to the police department in Highland Park. Authorities initially said Crimo was 22, but an FBI bulletin and Crimo’s social media suggests he is 21.
"This individual is believed to have been responsible for what happened," said Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli as he announced Crimo's arrest. According to Covelli, a "significant amount of digital evidence" was what led investigators to Crimo.
CBS Chicago reported that Crimo lived in the Chicago suburb of Highwood, with his father and uncle.
'Aspiring Rapper' Turned Shooter
According to media reports, Crimo is an aspiring Chicago-based rapper.
Performing under the name 'Awake the Rapper', he also "posted multiple disturbing videos on YouTube with violent imagery" that included a man with a rifle shooting people, tweeted Steven Monacelli, a journalist specializing in extremism.
In a video accompanying a song by Awake the Rapper, "Out of This World," the drawings are said to depict a gunman kitted out in a tactical vest and a helmet with a Go-Pro style camera, and carrying a semi-automatic rifle, with bodies strewn on the ground around him. The ‘gunman’ in the images aims the weapon at a faceless character raising its hands in surrender.
The suspect in the Highland Park shooting, Robert Crimo III, posted multiple disturbing videos on YouTube with violent imagery.
— steven monacelli (@stevanzetti) July 4, 2022
"Like a sleepwalker unable to stop and think, my actions will be valiant. And my thought is unnecessary. I know what I have to do." pic.twitter.com/CROskei1Vh
In another video the artist ostensibly posted a cartoon character carrying a rifle and later lying face down in a pool of blood, surrounded by police officers.
In one song, the artist is quoted as saying: “My actions will be valiant and my thought is unnecessary. I know what I have to do, I know what's in it, not only for me, but for everyone else.”
Also believed to have been posted by the artist was a picture of a newspaper clipping on his bedroom wall referring to the death of Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated President John F Kennedy in Dallas, Texas in November 1963.
The violent videos believed to be linked to Crimo were removed from YouTube in the hours after the shooting, according to media reports, and the account has been suspended.
UPDATE: FBI agents appear to be clearing out of home and driveway where suspect lives. Neighbors tell me Robert Crimo III lives here with his dad and uncle. @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/8GBa9dyWo8
— Asal Rezaei (@asalrezaeitv) July 4, 2022
On Monday evening, law enforcement vehicles were surrounding the two-story home listed as Robert E Crimo III's address in Highwood, north of Highland Park. According to neighbors, Crimo's father, Bob Crimo, owned the nearby restaurant Bob's Pantry & Deli. Crimo’s uncle was cited by media as saying there was no indication that his nephew would be capable of such violence and he apologized to the victims, saying he was "heartbroken".
Authorities have not yet announced charges against Crimo who is reportedly being interrogated by the Highland Park police department and investigators. Possible motives for the shooting have yet to be revealed.
