July 4 is a time of patriotism and solidarity. It’s a time when Americans come together to celebrate the American spirit and rally together under the flag.
Tragically, this July 4 in Highland Park, Illinois was a time of bloodshed and terror after a young man shot over 30 individuals during the Independence Day Parade.
The 21-year-old suspect, a deranged rapper going by Bobby Crimo III, killed seven individuals.
Now, more information is coming out about the repeated warnings authorities had that he was unstable and wanted to commit violence. Yet, somehow, he still passed multiple background checks.
Tell me again how gun control saves lives?
Crimo’s Creepy History
Since 2019, Crimo was known to be a dangerous and unstable individual by police. However, he still passed four Illinois state background checks after that time. This allowed him to purchase the weapons he used in the shooting.
In one case, his father also signed off on the Firearms Owner Identification (FOID) required in Illinois.
In the fall of 2019, Highland Park police received a specific warning that Crimo was dangerous after he threatened to harm his family members and “everyone.” They searched his house, removed a sword and numerous knives, but found no grounds for arresting him.
The main reason was that Crimo’s dad claimed the weapons were his and Crimo himself denied he’d threatened his family.
Crimo is a heavy user of cannabis, which is closely linked to many cases of psychotic mental illness and delusion. He went by the stage name Awake and performed bizarre and disturbing rap music.
One music video of his songs shows him laughing maniacally while acting out a school shooting and mocking the American flag.
!!!
Law enforcement reveals that there was a Sept. 2019 incident in which Robert Crimo threatened to "kill everyone," police "removed 16 knives, a dagger and a sword from Crimo’s home" but there was "no probable cause for arrest" and no complaints were signed by the victims. pic.twitter.com/z9JplJy8H5
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) July 5, 2022
It Gets Even Stranger
When police confiscated weapons from Crimo’s home, they did not take his FOID card because he didn’t have one. He got one a few months later legally, sponsored by his dad, who signed off on it since Crimo was under 21 at the time.
He had no record and no pending threat assessment or mental health file to indicate the FOID should be denied.
Crimo had mental health problems all the way back to being a young teen. Yet, his family covered for him. They helped him get a semi-automatic rifle legally in the state of Illinois, despite its background checks and rules.
After spraying bullets on the innocent parade members, Crimo reportedly dressed as a female, ran back to his mom’s home, and then drove away in her car.
An alert was put out for the vehicle and he was arrested, but questions remain about how much his mom might have known and why his dad helped him obtain numerous weapons.
If police didn’t see enough to act on in Crimo’s case, how are we supposed to trust stricter gun control would make a difference in stopping these kinds of slaughters, especially with parents aiding and abetting their psychotic progeny?
To get a FOID card in Illinois, I had to pass a background check. There are also red flag laws in Illinois. Obviously, the authorities, both local and statewide missed something on Robert Crimo on both counts. They blew it but are blaming the gun…
— Terry (@Sicilian1926) July 6, 2022