Cheney Orr/Reuters
The evening earlier than Robert “Bobby” Crimo III allegedly carried out his premeditated assault at a Fourth of July Parade—the place he's accused of murdering seven folks and injuring dozens extra—the 21-year-old mocked one other mass shooter for his grisly assault, his father revealed.
In a Wednesday interview with the New York Submit, Robert Crimo Jr. mentioned that on Sunday night he and his son had been discussing a mass capturing in Copenhagen, the place a person killed three folks at a mall. The elder Crimo mentioned his son referred to as the shooter “an fool” earlier than including: “Folks like that… [commit mass shootings] to amp up the folks that need to ban all weapons.”
“I talked to him 13 hours earlier than [the parade attack],” Crimo Jr. advised the paper. “That’s why I suppose I’m in such shock… Like, did he have a psychiatric break or one thing?”
The dialog is surprising, contemplating that Crimo III has since admitted to investigators he “dressed up like a woman and coated his tattoos with make-up as a result of folks acknowledged him” earlier than allegedly opening fireplace on the Highland Park Fourth of July parade. In the course of the assault, Crimo III advised investigators he used three 30-round clips in his Smith and Wesson MNP 15 to assault parade attendees, stopping to reload twice.
Afterward, prosecutors revealed throughout a bond listening to Wednesday, Crimo III advised investigators he fled the rooftop he used as a sniper’s nest however unintentionally left his rifle behind when it fell out of his bag.
The gun used was legally obtained in 2020. Illinois state police advised The Day by day Beast that Crimo III’s father sponsored his son’s firearms allow utility simply months after Crimo III allegedly tried suicide, talked about “killing all people,” and had 16 knives, a dagger, and a sword taken from his residence.
The weapon was additionally notably obtained after police revealed they’d had earlier harrowing run-ins with Crimo III. In a Sept. 15, 2019, Highland Park police report obtained by The Day by day Beast, officers went to the Crimo household residence after a person said the 21-year-old had “said he was going to kill everybody” in his household.
On Tuesday, authorities confirmed the September 2019 incident by which Crimo III allegedly threatened to “kill everybody” in his household whereas hoarding 16 knives, a dagger, and a sword. He had additionally tried suicide that April, police mentioned. When officers arrived on the home, each Crimo III and his mom mentioned he had been depressed and had “a historical past of drug use.”
“Robert was not forthcoming as to the language that he used on [during the threat] nor was his mom,” the report states.
The report added that Crimo Jr. was the one who advised police in regards to the son’s assortment of knives that had been being saved in a “tin can lunch field, together with a 12 inch dagger, and a 24 inch Samurai kind blade” in his bed room closet. Crimo III advised police on the time that he was not harming himself or others.
Crimo Jr. dismissed the notion his son’s 2019 incident was harmful—telling the Submit it was merely a “infantile outburst” and insisting the huge assortment of knives had been “only a assortment.”
“ I used to gather cash and baseball playing cards,” the dad added.
Months after the incident, Crimo Jr. sponsored his son’s gun-license utility, which allowed Crimo III to purchase a number of weapons—together with the one he purchased on-line and picked up from native gun supplier Pink Dot Arms, The Day by day Beast solely reported on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, Crimo Jr. dismissed any concept of wrongdoing in aiding his son to acquire a firearm proprietor’s identification card, telling the Submit that he thought his little one was merely going to make use of his gun on the capturing vary.
“He purchased every thing on his personal, and so they’re registered to him,” the dad added. “, he drove there, he ordered them, he picked them up, they did his background examine on each.”
Crimo Jr., who unsuccessfully ran for Highland Park mayor in 2019, additionally added that he had “zero” involvement in Monday’s assault and slammed anybody who would say in any other case.
“I’ve been right here my entire life, and I’m gonna keep right here, maintain my head excessive, as a result of I didn’t do something unsuitable,” he mentioned, later including that whereas he's “devastated” by the incident he hopes that his son pays for his crimes.
“I need a lengthy sentence,” he mentioned. “He made a selection. He didn’t have to try this. I feel there’s psychological sickness there, clearly.”