Suspect admitted to attack that killed 7 in Illinois, prosecutor says

The man accused of firing a semi-automatic rifle at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois, near Chicago us United States admitted to authorities that he was responsible for the attack that left seven people dead, one of the prosecutors said during the trial.

This Wednesday (6) marked the first appearance of suspect Robert Crimo, 21, when he was denied bail.

Crimo appeared, in prison and dressed in black, at the bail hearing before Judge Theodore Potkonjak via video broadcast, two days after the attack carried out during the 4th of July holiday celebration.

The man faces seven counts of first-degree murder.

Ben Dillon, the county prosecutor, told the court that the suspect confessed to the crime shortly after he was arrested. There was no objection at the hearing.

Crimo spoke only briefly to confirm that he had no lawyer. A public defender was appointed to represent him.

“He does indeed pose a specific and present threat to the community,” the judge argued in ordering him to remain in detention.

Officials said Tuesday that Crimo had been planning the attack for weeks before climbing up an alley and firing more than 70 shots at random at spectators at the event and fleeing dressed in women’s clothing and makeup to cover his facial tattoos and blend in among the crowd. the crowd.

At least seven people died and more than three dozen were hospitalized with gunshot wounds and other injuries.

The suspect was later arrested on Monday when he was stopped by police driving his mother’s car. According to police, he drove to Wisconsin and returned to Illinois.

A Smith & Wesson semi-automatic rifle, similar to an AR-15, used in the shooting was found at the scene, and Crime had a similar weapon in his mother’s car when he was arrested.

If convicted of seven counts of first-degree murder, he will face a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole, Eric Reinhart, Lake County’s attorney, explained in announcing the charges Tuesday.

Reinhart said more accusations must be made.

Crimo is due to appear in court again on July 28.

Police said they had no immediate evidence of any anti-Semitic or racist basis for the attack. The local community has a large Jewish community.

Investigators were reviewing videos Crimo had posted on social media containing violent images.

Crimo’s parents said in a statement released by their lawyer asking for privacy.

“We are all mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, and this is a terrible tragedy for many families, for the victims, for the participants in the parade, for the community and for our family,” they said. “Our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to everyone.”

Crimo had entered the police radar on two occasions

Sgt. Chris Covelli, a spokesman for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, said Crimo legally purchased five weapons in all, including rifles and pistols.

He has come to the attention of the police on two previous occasions for his behavior allegedly suggesting that he could harm himself or others.

The first time was through an emergency 911 call in April 2019. The call reported that Crimo had attempted suicide.

Then, in September of that year, by a police visit that denounced the man for alleged threats directed to the family about “killing everybody”, said Covelli.

Police, who responded to the second incident, seized a collection of 16 knives, a dagger and a sword accumulated in his home, although no arrests were made because authorities at the time did not have probable cause to take him into custody, he explained. Covelli.

Red Flag Law

Authorities were unable to explain how Crimo evidently passed the safeguards of an Illinois “red flag” law designed to prevent people deemed to have violent tendencies from obtaining guns.

Illinois State Police said in a statement that the knives were later returned to the family, the same day they were confiscated, after the father told authorities the knives were his and were kept in his son’s closet for safety.

The state organization acknowledged receiving a report from local authorities declaring Crimo a “clear and present danger” following the alleged September 2019 threat to his family.

The institution said it closed the case after determining that Crimo did not have the gun owner’s ID card to revoke nor a request to deny.

None of the 2019 incidents showed up in the four background checks performed during their subsequent firearm purchases.