Bobby Crimo Previously Threatened Suicide, 'To Kill Everyone': Police

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Robert "Bobby" Crimo III had threatened to "kill everyone" in 2019 when 16 knives, a dagger, and a sword were recovered from the Highland Park home he was living not long after the then-teenager had attempted to kill himself, law enforcement officials said on Tuesday.

Yet, he was able to purchase five weapons in Illinois, one of which was used when prosecutors said that the 21-year-old killed seven people and injured dozens more in a "shooting spree" at Highland Park's July 4 parade.

Crimo was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder and faces "dozens" more charges, authorities said Tuesday evening. The charges, however, come after law enforcement officials had two previous encounters with Crimo, who had attempted suicide in 2019 months before police were called to his Highland Park home.

The previous encounters between police and Crimo's family brought into question Illinois' red flag laws, which allow for the temporary removal of guns and of the right to purchase guns by those that the court considers dangerous.

On Tuesday, Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said that there should be a vast increase in awareness and education about the law, but also called for a ban on all assault weapons "in Illinois and beyond."

Asked if the red flag law should have prevented Crimo from purchasing five weapons, Rinehart said that his office investigates each matter on a case-by-case basis.

Rinehart said there was not a pending application for a firearm owner's identification card in 2019 when the police were called. Rinehart declined to get into whether one of Crimo's legal guardians sponsored his application for a FOID card and if so, whether they could face criminal charges in connection with Monday's pass shooting.

"I'm absolutely not going to get into that level of detail," Rinehart said at a news conference on Tuesday evening.

The revelation about past encounters with Crimo came after police officials said on Tuesday that the high-powered rifle reportedly used Monday was legally obtained by Crimo at a Chicago-area store. A second rifle was also found in his car after he was arrested, and Crimo had more guns at his Highwood home, police said.

All the guns were purchased legally by Crimo in the past year, police said Tuesday. However, prosecutors at the state and federal levels on Tuesday did not specifically address questions of whether Crimo should have been permitted to purchase the five weapons under Illinois' red flag law due to his previous encounters with police.

Police said they believe Crimo had been planning the attack for "weeks," and they have not identified a motive in the mass shooting.

Seven people were killed at Monday's parade, including one person who died at a hospital on Tuesday, and another 24 were wounded. Police on Tuesday said that more than 40 people have either been injured or killed in Monday's incident that took place shortly after the parade started.

In 2019, police were called to the Highland Park home where Crimo was living, Christopher Covelli of the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force said. However, officials said that the incident was handled by mental health professionals.

At the time, there was no probable cause to charge Crimo, as none of the victims indicated they wanted to press charges against him, Covelli said.

In a statement issued Tuesday night, Crimo's parents said their son is represented by two lawyers, Tom Durkin and Josh Herman.

"We are all mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers and this is a terrible tragedy for many families, victims, the paradegoers and the community and our town," the statement said. "Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers go out to everybody."

See Also: Highland Park July 4 Shooting Updates: Photos

Police have only described the weapon found on the rooftop of a local business on Monday as an AR-15 semi-automatic high-powered rifle, but have not offered any more details of where the gun may have come from. Highland Park has an assault weapons ban that went into effect in 2013.

Officials said at a news conference on Tuesday that the weapon was purchased by Crimo. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) tracked the gun's ownership back to Crimo, officials said.

See Also: 7th Person Dies, Vigils Set For Victims Of Highland Park Parade Shooting

During a news conference, Covelli said that during the attack, Crimo was dressed in women's clothing, and investigators believe he did this to conceal his facial tattoos as well as his identity and help him escape as others fled the chaos.

Officials also believe that Crimo fired more than 70 rounds from this rifle into the crowd of innocent people. Officials also believe that Crimo acted alone in the attack.

Following the attack, Crimo exited the roof, dropped his rifle, blended in with the crowd, and escaped, according to police. Officials also said that Crimo had other guns that were recovered from a Highwood home where he was living.

Asked whether investigators had theories of why Crimo chose to leave the rifle behind after he allegedly left the rooftop and blended into the crowd, officials said investigators are looking "very thoroughly" at every aspect of the incident and there are a number of theories why the rifle was left behind.

"It's very clear to investigators he attempted to blend in with the rest of the victims who were fleeing the scene," Cervelli said. "Carrying a rifle, I would imagine wouldn't allow one to blend in very well."

He added: "The weapon led to (Crimo) directly."

Law enforcement officials also said at a news conference on Tuesday that a second rifle was found inside the 2010 Honda Fit that was identified as the vehicle Crimo was driving. Crimo was taken into custody Monday night following a traffic stop in Lake Forest.

In the "Today" interview, Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering said that “at some point” the country has “have a conversation” about these weekly events involving the murder of dozens of people with legally obtained guns, the mayor said.

See also: Evidence Was Insufficient To Deny FOID Card To Crimo, State Police Say

“If that’s what our laws stand for, I think we need to re-examine the laws,” Rotering said in the interview. “Frankly, it tells us our values are askew. (Monday) we came together to celebrate independence and freedom ….we were ready to come together and celebrate our nation and as a result, because of this gun culture, our nation turned its back on us and turned its back on our celebration.”

“We as a country have to have a conversation with ourselves," she added. "I don’t know how many more of these events need to occur.”

Patch editor Jonah Meadows contributed reporting.