Chicago shooting suspect charged with murder, faces life imprisonment
Robert E "Bobby" Crimo III, the 21-year-old accused of opening fire on an Independence Day parade in Chicago was charged with seven counts of murder on Tuesday. The police said that Crimo had planned the attack for weeks that left seven dead and dozens injured in the suburb of Highland Park, Illinois. He fired more than 70 rounds at random into the crowd.
Why does this story matter?
In a nation with the highest per capita gun ownership in the world and the highest annual number of mass shootings among wealthy nations, the United States Senate passed the most significant gun legislation in nearly three decades on June 24. It followed the deadly mass shootings at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, and an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, in May.
If convicted, Crimo would face life imprisonment
If convicted, he would face mandatory life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, Illinois state attorney Eric Reinhart said. Reinhart said the murder charges would be followed by "dozens of more charges." He would also ask that Crimo remains in custody without bail at the latter's first court appearance scheduled for Wednesday. Whether Crimo had a lawyer wasn't clear as of now.
Crimo bought rifles, pistols legally
Crimo used a high-powered rifle on Monday and it was similar to an AR-15 that he dropped at the site. When the police took him into custody while driving his mother's car, he had a similar rifle. He also owned other guns, all of which were bought legally in Illinois, officials said. Crimo had purchased a total of five firearms, including rifles and pistols.
Two encounters with law enforcement in 2019
Crimo was dressed in women's clothes to conceal his identity and flee along with the panic-stricken crowd, Sergeant Chris Covelli said. Crimo also has distinctive facial tattoos and has had two encounters with law enforcement earlier. In April 2019, he attempted suicide and in September of the same year, he posed a "clear and present danger" after alleged threats to his family.
What happened at the parade?
Crimo, who used a high-powered rifle to shoot from the rooftop of a building on the parade, was reportedly on the run for nearly eight hours before being arrested. While seven persons were killed, dozens were injured in the Highland Park suburb. Reuters reported Crimo was taken into custody after the police surrounded the car he was in, and they persuaded him to surrender.
Social media sites remove Crimo's accounts
Following the shooting, social media platforms, including Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Discord, have removed accounts that appeared to belong to Crimo. The Verge reported that Crimo, who used aliases, likely posted more than a dozen videos on YouTube as well as hosted a Discord channel named "SS." However, he had apparently not posted anything on his alleged YouTube handle in around eight months.
Crimo allegedly used concerning language, imagery in videos
One of Crimo's videos reportedly included language and imagery that seemed to be about classrooms and stick-art illustrations of people being shot. Another clip that appeared to be a rap song's music video featured Crimo wearing protective gear and handling bullets in what looked like a classroom. Crimo had uploaded multiple albums to Spotify and several EPs and singles on Apple Music.
