Robert Crimo III, 21, the suspected gunman in the Highland Park Fourth of July parade shooting that killed seven people and injured dozens of others, confessed to firing on the parade to investigators in an interview.
According to the Associated Press, a Illinois judge has ordered Crimo to be held without bail.
According to WGN-TV, Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said in a news conference that the suspect is facing first-degree murder charges and if he’s convicted, he would receive a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Crimo fled to the Madison, Wisconsin area following the shooting, where he considered “shooting up” an event, said the AP. According to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Task Force Information Officer Christopher Covelli and the AP, Crimo decided to turn back to Illinois where he was later arrested. He had decided he was not “prepared” to pull off a shooting in Wisconsin.
According to CNN, Rinehart said he anticipates that Crimo will be facing more charges “because so many people were hurt. For each individual that was hurt, people can anticipate an attempted murder charge as well as an aggravated battery with a firearm charge.” Those charges come with “serious prison time,” Rinehart said.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Ben Dillon said in court, that police found 83 bullet shells and three ammunition magazines from the rooftop that Crimo fired from, according to the AP.
According to CNN, FBI Director Christopher Wray said federal charges are also possible.
Rinehart is calling for a nationwide ban on assault weapons, according to CNN.
“With the respect to the red flag laws, we have to look at it on a case-by-case basis. With respect to holes in gun laws, we need an assault weapon ban and we need to make sure that law enforcement is using the red flag law, the firearm restraining order law.”
>> Highland Park parade shooting: What we know about the victims
According to WGN-TV, Crimo legally bought five weapons which included two high-profile rifles that were used in the shooting. Investigators on Tuesday said that those purchases were allowed even though police were called to his home twice in 2019 for threats of violence and suicide.
The judge set a preliminary hearing for July 28. Crimo’s motive has not yet been released, according to CNN.
Check back for more on this developing story.
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