Prosecutors have filed charges against the father of Robert E. Crimo III, the accused shooter who killed seven and wounded dozens in the Highland Park parade shooting.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office confirmed Friday they have charged Robert E. Crimo Jr.
Crimo Jr. was charged with seven counts of reckless conduct causing great bodily harm, which is a felony.
Crimo Jr. is the father of Crimo III, 22, of Highwood, who is charged with 21 counts of first-degree murder, 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.
Crimo III allegedly shot dozens of people during the July 4 parade in downtown Highland Park.
Crimo’s father is the one who sponsored his son’s Firearm Owners Identification card application that allowed him to legally buy guns despite red flags.
Crimo confessed to the shooting at the Highland Park Police Department and admitted to dressing up as a woman to disguise himself, Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Ben Dillon said during a bond hearing in July.
He admitted to “looking down his sights” before opening fire on the crowd, killing seven people and injuring over 40 people.
Crimo said he fired two full 30-round magazines before loading a third 30-round magazine and firing, Dillon said.
83 spent shell casings were recovered at the scene.
Crimo identified himself on surveillance video and the weapon used, Dillon added.
Lake County Major Crime Task Force Spokesman Christopher Covelli said that Crimo pre-planned the attack for several weeks.
The weapon used in the attack was a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 semi-automatic rifle.
Crimo was arrested that day after someone spotted him driving on Route 41 through North Chicago.
Crimo remains held in the Lake County Jail without bond. His father was taken into custody by Highland Park police on Friday.
Covelli said that law enforcement had two prior encounters with Crimo III.
One of those occurred in April 2019 when Highland Park police responded to a delayed report from a family member that Crimo attempted suicide.
Officers spoke to Crimo and his parents and determined the matter was being handled by mental health professionals, Covelli said.
The second encounter was in September 2019 when a family member reported Crimo threatened to “kill everyone.”
Police responded and removed 16 knives and other weapons from his residence.
They then notified the Illinois State Police but did not arrest Crimo because there was no probable cause and no criminal complaints were signed, Covelli said.
State police said that they received the “clear and present danger” report regarding threats Crimo made to his family in September 2019, but no one, including his family, wanted to move forward with a criminal complaint.
The report also stated that police asked Crimo if he felt like harming himself or others and he said no.
Crimo’s father reportedly told police the knives were his and they were in Crimo’s closet for storage.
Highland Park police later returned the knives to the father the same day of the incident, said.
They also did not provide information on threats or Crimo’s mental health that would have allowed police to take more action, state police said.
Crimo did not have a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card or a pending application for one at the time.
“Once this determination was made, Illinois State Police involvement with the matter was concluded,” state police said.
Crimo, who was 19 at the time, later applied for a FOID card in December 2019. His father sponsored the application.
When the application was reviewed in January 2020, “there was insufficient basis to establish a clear and present danger and deny the FOID application.”
Crimo passed four background checks when purchasing firearms on June 9, 2020; July 18, 2020; July 31, 2020 and September 20, 2021.
“The only offense included in the individual’s criminal history was an ordinance violation in January 2016 for possession of tobacco,” state police said.
There were no mental health prohibitor reports submitted by healthcare facilities or personnel, state police added.