As locals celebrated the Fourth of July at Highland Park on Monday morning, a gunman believed to have been perched on a nearby rooftop opened fire, killing at least six people and wounding dozens more.
Robert Crimo, 21, was taken into custody as a person of interest following an extensive manhunt, and it was later revealed that he had posted videos appearing to muse about committing violent acts, including one video from 2021 that appeared to show him driving down a street that appears to be part of the parade route.
TWO HIGHLAND PARK SHOOTING VICTIMS IDENTIFIED
“This morning at 10:10 a.m. our community was terrorized by an act of violence that has shaken us to our core,” Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering said after the shooting. “Our hearts go out to the families of the victims during this devastating time. On a day that we came together to celebrate community and freedom — we are instead mourning the tragic loss of life and struggling with the terror that was brought upon us.”
Police arrested Crimo after a roughly eight-hour search. They apprehended him after a brief chase in suburban Lake Forest, just a few miles outside Highland Park, Illinois, officials said. A “significant amount of digital evidence” helped authorities to dub Crimo a person of interest in the case, according to Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli.
“This individual is believed to have been responsible for what happened and the investigation will continue,” Covelli added Monday.
No charges against Crimo have been issued.
Authorities recovered a “high-powered rifle” from the scene of the shooting. Officials have not divulged what type of rifle was recovered, but Rotering said she believes the firearm was purchased legally. Law enforcement is currently working to trace the origins of the weapon, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives said.
Despite reports of alarming social media posts, Crimo’s uncle said he “saw no signs of trouble,” noting Crimo had been unemployed for about two years and largely kept to himself as he attempted to break out as a rapper.
The Washington Examiner reviewed multiple videos believed to have come from Crimo that were available on Blogspot, despite a YouTube page associated with him getting taken down. This included one video in which an emergency alert system was heard playing, and he drove down an empty street with U.S. flags believed to be the site of Monday’s shooting. The video was dated August 2021, but the parade was seemingly canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.
Highland Park, which is located about 30 miles north of Chicago, is considered safer than 71% of U.S. cities, according to Neighborhood Scout. The city passed an assault weapons ban in 2013 that drew challenges from gun rights advocacy groups such as the National Rifle Association. A lower court left the ban intact, and the Supreme Court declined to hear the case.
Five victims were pronounced dead at the scene, and an additional fatality was recorded after a gunshot victim taken to a nearby hospital succumbed to injuries, according to police. At least 26 victims from ages 8 to 85 were transported to Highland Park Hospital, medical officials said. Some 19 of those victims were treated and returned home, according to medical officials. An additional five people were injured, some of whom were brought to other facilities nearby, Axios reported.
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Most of the identities of the victims have not yet been released. But at least two have been revealed so far, including Nicolas Toledo, 76, and Jacki Sundheim, according to the New York Times. Toledo, who didn’t want to attend the parade but accompanied his family, was fatally shot at least three times while sitting in his wheelchair, his granddaughter said. Sundheim was identified by her synagogue, the North Shore Congregation Israel in Glencoe, the outlet reported.
The shooting at Highland Park is one of at least four shootings in Illinois that took place since Friday, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
