Accused Highland Park Parade Shooter's Father Yet To Be Indicted

WAUKEGAN, IL — The father of the man accused of carrying out a mass shooting at the Highland Park 4th of July parade appeared in court Thursday for a status hearing.

Robert Crimo Jr., 58, of Highwood, signed off on his son's application for a firearm owners identification, or FOID, card in December 2019. State law requires a parent or guardian to endorse the applications of people under 21.

Crimo's son, then 19, had been determined to pose a "clear and present danger" after saying "he was going to kill everyone" in September 2019, according to police. He had also reportedly attempted suicide.

State police issued a FOID card to the teen, and in the summer of 2020 he purchased five guns, including the one he would later allegedly use to kill seven people and wound 48 others at the July 4th parade.

Two of the guns he bought were semiautomatic rifles considered to be "assault weapons" under the Protect Illinois Communities Act, the gun and magazine ban drafted in response to the shooting, signed into law earlier this month and currently facing state and federal court challenges.

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The elder Crimo, a former mayoral candidate and convenience store owner, was charged last month with seven counts of reckless conduct causing great bodily harm, one felony count for each of the slain paradegoers.

"He knew what he knew, and he signed the form anyway," Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said. "This was criminally reckless and a contributing cause to the bodily harm suffered by the victims on July 4th."

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A conviction for reckless conduct, a class 4 felony, carries a sentence from probation to up to three years in state prison. State law defines the offense as any time a person "by any means lawful or unlawful, recklessly performs an act or acts" that harms or endangers someone.

"Based on what the father knew, specific information that the father knew, he was reckless and it was reckless conduct," Rinehart told reporters last month.

Rinehart declined to specify what information Crimo allegedly had, but the state's attorney suggested in a statement that digital forensic evidence supports the allegations.

"Our Cyber Lab personnel were critical partners on the team that helped us uncover the truth of the critical weeks before the FOID was issued," Rinehart said.

The charges were filed just before the three-year anniversary of the day Crimo signed his son's FOID card application. Three years is the statute of limitations for most felonies in Illinois.

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On Thursday, Lake County Associate Judge George Strickland granted a request from prosecutors for more time to prepare their case and present it to a grand jury for an indictment.

The elder Crimo is currently out on bail after posting the $5,000 cash portion of his bond. He was also ordered to turn over any firearms as a condition of pretrial release.

George Gomez, Crimo's Libertyville-based defense attorney, speculated that prosecutors are unlikely to have an easy time convicting his client.

"I think this case might be an uphill battle for the state at this moment," Gomez told reporters Thursday. "So, I do believe that there may be some trouble for the state."

His son is awaiting trial on 117 felony counts, accused of the murder of seven people and the wounding of 48 others. Currently held without bond at the Lake County Jail, the 22-year-old is due back in court Tuesday.

Earlier: Bob Crimo, Father Of Accused Highland Park Mass Shooter, Faces Charges