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On Wednesday, Robert Crimo, the 21-year-old accused of the Highland Park Parade massacre, was indicted on 117 charges for his alleged role in the shooting. Twenty-one of the charges include first-degree murder, three counts each for the seven victims killed in the attack.
Robert Crimo is also charged with 48 counts of aggravated battery and 48 counts of attempted murder.
The aspiring rapper reportedly opened fire on attendees of an Independence Day parade in the Highland Park suburb of Chicago, Illinois, on July 4, 2022. The guns used in the attack, that killed 7 people and injured 48, were legally purchased by Crimo.
Illinois State Attorney Eric Rinhart spoke about the indictment in an official press release and said:
Our investigation continues, and our victim specialists are working around the clock to support all those affected by this crime that led to 117 felony counts being filed today."
Robert Crimo is expected to be arraigned in court on August 3.
Details about Robert Crimo and his indictment
Court records state that Crimo had a history of violence as authorities visited him in 2019 when he allegedly made death threats against his family. Despite this, Crimo passed the background checks to legally purchase assault rifles and ammunition used in the shooting. The weapons were reportedly bought between June 2020 and September 2021.
A spokesman for the Lake County Major Crime Task Force, Chris Covelli, believes that Crimo's systematic purchases indicate that he may have been calculating in his approach.
Covelli said:
"(Robert Crimo) pre-planned this attack for several weeks."
According to State prosecutors, Robert Crimo allegedly confessed to the mass shooting on July 4, after he was detained by police, eight hours after the killings. The 21-year-old also confessed to using nearly three 30-round magazines during the attack.
Additionally, Illinois authorities said that upon his arrest, Crimo told them he was planning another shooting at a parade in Madison, Wisconsin. However, he eventually reconsidered it.
Following the shooting, the Mayor of Highland Park, Nancy Rotering spoke to the news outlets and told them that she had known the shooter when he was a child.
She said:
"I was his Cub Scout pack leader… My heart breaks for everybody in this town. I'm not sure what happened to him to compel him to commit this kind of evil in his hometown, but we have a city that is in deep mourning today, and we are going to take a long time to heal from all of this."
Crimo is currently in police custody without the option of bail and if he is convicted of the first-degree murder charges, he could face life in prison.
