U.S. authorities on Wednesday charged the 21-year-old accused of carrying out a deadly mass shooting at a July 4 parade. near Chicago with 117 murder charges and more, according to an official statement.
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Robert Crimo, a young man with a history of mental illness, opened fire at an Independence Day parade in a busy Chicago suburbkilling seven people and wounding dozens more.
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The attack was the latest in a wave of gun violence sweeping the United States.
Crimo, who was disguised as a woman during the shooting, was arrested several hours later.
He later confessed to the crime and said he was planning another attack.
Crimo was charged Wednesday with 21 counts of first-degree murder, as well as multiple counts of attempted murder and aggravated assault, according to a statement from prosecutors.
“Our investigation continues, and our victim specialists are working flat out to support everyone affected by this crime,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said in a statement.
Crimo is expected to appear in court next week for his arraignment and charges will be officially read to him.
The 4th of July shooting was the last recorded large-scale firearms massacre in the United States.where about 40,000 gun deaths a year occur, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
The event further ignited a tense national debate over gun control and raised questions about how someone with a history of mental health problems and threatening behavior would be allowed to legally purchase a gun.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With information from AFP
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