The young man suspected of having perpetrated a shooting during a patriotic parade on July 4 in a city near Chicago He was charged Tuesday with seven first-degree murders. a local prosecutor said.
Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said suspect Robert Crimo, of Highwood, Illinois, will eventually face “dozens more charges.”
(Also read: Shooting in Illinois: author would have dressed as a woman to avoid suspicion)
The state of Illinois, where the town of Highland Park is located, where the shooting took place, does not provide for the death penalty, and if the suspect is found guilty of all seven counts of murder, the law requires that the penalty be the life in prison without the possibility of parole, the prosecutor said.
Crimo, 21, used a “powerful AR-15-like rifle” to shoot apparently at random into the crowd attending the July 4 parade from atop a store roof, said Christopher Covelli, a police officer. policeman.
“We believe that he prepared the attack for weeks,” he said.
“He dressed as a woman” to hide his identity and may have donned a long-haired wig to hide the tattoos on his face, he said. She later abandoned the weapon and mixed with the people who fled in terror.
The young man fired more than 70 times and caused seven deaths and at least 35 injuriesaccording to a balance provided this Tuesday by the police.
(You can read: US Independence Day shooting mourns celebrations)
The spokesperson for the county sheriff’s office on the shooting in #HighlandPark: Robert Crimo prepared the attack for weeks and dressed as a woman to hide his tattoos, camouflage himself among the people and flee. He bought two rifles legally.pic.twitter.com/TAtg8hlPxp
– Dori Toribio (@DoriToribio) July 5, 2022
Crime’s history
Originally from Highwood, a small nearby town, the shooter was identified from surveillance video and traces of the gun he had purchased legally, Covelli said. He was arrested on Monday and at the moment has not revealed the motive.
According to the police, the young man attempted suicide in April 2019 and was under medical treatment.
In September 2019, some agents went to his house after being alerted that he was threatening “to kill everyone”.
(Keep reading: Robert Crimo, suspect in shooting near Chicago, arrested)
At that time the police seized 16 knives, a dagger and a sword. He was not arrested because no one filed a complaint against him, Cavelli stressed.
In a video posted eight months ago, a young man, believed to be Robert Crimo, is seen in a room and classroom with posters of a gunman shooting people. And an audio recorded comment: “I need to do it”, “it’s my destiny. Everything has led me to this. Nothing can stop me, not even me.”
We believe he prepared the attack for weeks
In images on the suspect’s Twitter account, he is seen with a flag supporting former Republican President Donald Trump on his back.
Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering told NBC that she met the young man when he was a Boy Scout and that the gun used in the shooting was purchased legally.
“This is where you have to reflect and wonder what happened: how someone was filled with so much anger, so much hatred to attack innocent people who spend a day with their families,” he said.
(Also: United States: two injured in Philadelphia after shooting against police)
A drama that plunged the city into “incredible sadness and shock.” “Everyone knows someone who was directly affected” by the tragedy.
Paul Crimo, the suspect’s uncle, told CNN Tuesday that he saw “no sign” that he was going to do such a thing.
Biden calls for more gun control
Meanwhile, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, considered this Tuesday that it is necessary to go further in a reform that establishes restrictions on firearms and prohibits assault rifles, after the shooting on Monday in Illinois.
This was stated by the White House spokeswoman, Karine Jean-Pierre, who stressed that the president has been “very clear” about the need to delve into a reform on firearms.
Still, he said Biden is “pleased” with the legislation passed in June and that it was agreed upon by Democrats and Republicans.
The spokeswoman pointed out that in the shooting on Monday during a parade in the town of Hihgland Park (Illinois) for the US Independence Day, which is celebrated on July 4, the attacker used an assault rifle.
Jean-Pierre noted that thirty years ago, when Biden was a senator, he led efforts to ban assault weapons, and today he would like to see such an achievement again.
In that sense, he was optimistic that such a veto would be possible in Congress, where the Democrats have a slim majority in the Upper House, after the minimum agreement reached in June.
*With information from AFP and EFE
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