July 4 suspect charged with seven counts of first-degree murder

The man suspected in the Fourth of July mass shooting in a Chicago suburb has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder, but officials expect there will be dozens more.

A gunman attacked an Independence Day parade by firing more than 70 rounds with an AR-15-style gun that killed seven, then evaded initial capture by blending into the fleeing crowd, police said Tuesday.

If convicted of the murders of seven people, Robert E. Crimo III will be sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. Lake County State Attorney Eric Rinehart says he will ask a judge to hold Crimo without bail at an appearance Wednesday.

Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli told a news conference that the suspected shooter, who was arrested late Monday, used a high-powered rifle “similar to an AR-15” to spray bullets from atop a commercial building into a crowd that had gathered for a parade in Highland Park, a close-knit community on the shores of Lake Michigan that has long drawn the rich and sometimes famous.

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More than 30 people were also wounded. Police confirmed a seventh victim had died on Tuesday.

Investigators who have interrogated the suspect and reviewed his social media posts have not determined a motive for the attack, Covelli said.

They have also not found any indication that the shooter targeted anyone by race, religion or other protected status.

Highland Park Police Commander Chris O’Neill said the gunman apparently fired from a rooftop where he was “very difficult to see.” He said the rifle was recovered at the scene. Police also found a ladder attached to the building.

Covelli said Crimo legally purchased the gun in Illinois within the past year.

Crimo, who goes by the name Bobby, was an aspiring rapper with the stage name Awake the Rapper, posting on social media dozens of videos and songs, some ominous and violent.

Earlier in the day, FBI agents peeked into trash cans and under picnic blankets as they searched for more evidence at the site where the assailant opened fire.

The shots were initially mistaken for fireworks before hundreds of panicked revellers fled in terror in Highland Park, a close-knit community on the shores of Lake Michigan that has long drawn the rich and sometimes famous.

A day later, baby strollers, lawn chairs and other items left behind by panicked parade-goers remained inside a wide police perimeter. Outside the police tape, some residents drove up to collect blankets and chairs they abandoned.

“There’s no safe place”

The July 4 shooting was just the latest to shatter the rituals of American life. Schools, churches, grocery stores and now community parades have all become killing grounds in recent months.

This time, the bloodshed came as the nation tried to find cause to celebrate its founding and the bonds that still hold it together.

The shooting occurred at a spot on the parade route where many residents had staked out prime viewing points early in the day for the annual celebration.

Among them was Nicolas Toledo, who was visiting his family in Illinois from Mexico. He was shot and died at the scene, his granddaughter, Xochil Toledo, told the Chicago Sun-Times. Also killed was Jacki Sundheim, a lifelong congregant and “beloved” staff member at nearby North Shore Congregation Israel, which announced her death on its website.

Dozens of fired bullets sent hundreds of parade-goers — some visibly bloodied — fleeing. They left a trail of abandoned items that showed everyday life suddenly, violently disrupted: a box of chocolate cookies spilled onto the grass; a child’s Chicago Cubs cap; baby strollers, some bearing American flags.

“There’s no safe place,” said Highland Park resident Barbara Harte, 73, who had stayed away from the parade fearing a mass shooting, but later ventured from her home.

Mass shootings on the rise in the U.S.

Since the start of the year, there have been 15 shootings where four or more people have been killed, including the Highland Park one, according to The Associated Press/USA TODAY/Northeastern University mass killing database.

In one animated video since taken down by YouTube, Crimo raps about armies “walking in darkness” as a drawing appears of a man pointing a rifle, a body on the ground and another figure with hands up in the distance.

Crimo’s father, Bob, a longtime deli owner, ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Highland Park in 2019, calling himself “a person for the people.”

Gina Troiani and her 5-year-old son were lined up with his daycare class ready to walk onto the parade route when she heard a loud sound that she believed was fireworks — until she heard people yell about a shooter.

“We just start running in the opposite direction,” she told The Associated Press. “There were people that got separated from their families, looking for them. Others just dropped their wagons, grabbed their kids and started running.”