A Highland Park mass shooter who killed seven people on Independence Day contemplated another shooting the same day.
Though he ended up not carrying out the second shooting, due to a lack of planning.
Another Shooting on Independence Day?
Robert E. “Bobby” Crimo III, 21, dressed like a woman to dodge the authorities.
He took his mother’s car to flee the scene after killing seven people and injuring more than 40 on Independence Day in the Chicago suburbs.
Initially, Crimo drove towards Madison, Wisconsin, before returning to Illinois. Here, he was finally arrested by the police, who found another rifle in his car with 60 rounds of bullets.
According to Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli, the boy “seriously contemplated” another attack in Madison. Covelli further noted the shooter, however, did not plan enough to carry out a second massacre.
Authorities are still investigating why Crimo returned to Illinois at a time when the police were hunting him in the state after the shooting.
BREAKING: Highland Park mass shooting suspect "seriously contemplated" attacking another celebration in Madison, Wisconsin, authorities say; suspect had about 60 rounds of ammunition at the time. https://t.co/qMNkHRFUbI pic.twitter.com/LXmSjLmiee
— ABC News (@ABC) July 6, 2022
Crimo fired 80 rounds of bullets using his Smith & Wesson M&P 15 semi-automatic rifle and reloaded the gun twice during the whole episode.
The weapon was recovered from the scene after Crimo escaped. Reportedly, three other weapons, a shotgun, Remington 700, and a Glock 43 were also recovered from Crimo’s house and office later on.
Police suggested Crimo had a great affinity for numbers “4 and 7”, which, when reversed, make the date of the crime.
The accused reportedly developed his interest in these numbers, due to the music he was interested in.
Legal Loopholes in Illinois Gun Laws Caught
This incident has also pointed out legal loopholes in Illinois’ strict gun laws; here, buying high-powered rifles is not easy, especially for people with previous criminal records.
If strict gun restrictions/laws are the answer to gun crimes then how did a mass shooting occur in Highland Park, Illinois where "Assault weapons" are already banned?
— Shawn Farash ❌🐻 (@Shawn_Farash) July 5, 2022
In 2019, Crimo had multiple encounters with the police; he tried to commit suicide, threatened to kill his whole family, and hoarded a stash of knives.
Still, he managed to buy all the rifles legally, despite having a criminal record.
Back then, police recovered 16 knives, a sword, and a dagger from him. They did not find any guns in his custody, which shows he bought them after his police encounters.
Meanwhile, an Illinois judge ordered holding Crimo without bail for charges of first-degree murder. Once convicted, he is likely to face life imprisonment without parole, as per Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart.
Prosecutors believe more charges will be coming to haunt Crimo in days to come, which will guarantee his life imprisonment.
Rinehart stated every time he fired the weapon, he committed an aggravated discharge of the weapon, which is a crime in itself, even if the bullets do not hit anybody.
Likewise, the attorney noted the state is also collaborating with federal agencies, particularly the FBI, to bring federal charges which can further trouble Crimo down the road.
