Robert “Bobby” Crimo allegedly confessed to police that he “seriously contemplated” carrying out another attack shortly after he “dressed up as a girl” and opened fire at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade, killing seven people.
After a bond hearing on Wednesday, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli told reporters that Crimo decided against carrying out the second massacre at a July 4 celebration in Madison, Wisconsin, because he “hadn’t put enough thought or research into” the other celebration.
Covelli said authorities are still piecing together Crimo’s alleged motive but he noted that the 21-year-old “had some type of affinity toward ‘4’ and ‘7’ and [the] inverse of ‘7,’ ‘4.’”
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During the bond hearing, Assistant State Attorney Ben Dillon said that Crimo admitted to using three 30-round clips in his Smith and Wesson MNP 15 to attack parade-goers, stopping to reload twice. Afterward, Dillon added, Crimo told investigators he fled the rooftop he used as a sniper’s nest but unintentionally left his rifle behind when it fell out of his bag.
That gun, prosecutors said, was instrumental in identifying Crimo, who is now being held without bond on seven counts of first-degree murder.
Appearing in court via Zoom and wearing a black shirt, Crimo remained completely still during Wednesday’s hearing as prosecutors described how the deadly attack unfolded, including the steps that he took to conceal his identity.
In a voluntary statement confessing to the attack, Crimo said he “dressed up like a girl and covered his tattoos with makeup because people recognized him,” Dillon said. As the parade was underway, prosecutors said, Crimo allegedly “accessed the roof of a business via a fire escape ladder and began opening fire on the innocent Independence Day celebration goers.”
The gun used was legally obtained in 2020. Illinois State Police told The Daily Beast that Crimo’s father sponsored his son’s firearms permit application just months after Crimo allegedly attempted suicide, talked about “killing everybody,” and had 16 knives, a dagger, and a sword taken from his home.
Authorities say that, after the Highland Park attack, Crimo went to his mother’s house and borrowed her car. He then drove to Madison, Wisconsin, where he allegedly saw another celebration underway and “seriously contemplated” using his leftover 60 rounds, Covelli said, adding that Crimo then dumped his cellphone in Middleton, Wisconsin.
About seven hours later, a North Chicago police officer spotted the car Crimo was believed to be driving. The 21-year-old took flight, but was arrested after a brief pursuit in Lake Forest. Inside the car, police said they found a second legally purchased rifle.
The new allegations about Crimo’s grisly mindset, and the lengthy preparation he put into the attack, come after police revealed they’d had previous run-ins with him. On Tuesday, authorities confirmed a Sept. 2019 incident in which Crimo allegedly threatened to “kill everyone” in this family while hoarding 16 knives, a dagger, and a sword. He had also attempted suicide that April, police said.
Neither house call resulted in an arrest, which may have made it easier for him to legally purchase the guns cops say he used to kill innocent people.
As The Daily Beast previously reported, a review of Crimo’s social-media posts, online discourse, and music videos under the alias Awake the Rapper showcase obsessions with violent imagery, mass shootings, and high-profile murderers.
“There were lots of red flags with him,” one former Highland Park High School classmate told The Daily Beast. “I told my teacher I didn’t want to sit next to him. He really scared me.”
