Robert Crimo dressed as a woman A YEAR before using same disguise to flee Highland Park shooting scene: Uncle
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Highland Park shooting, which claimed the lives of seven people, previously six, and injured more than 40, has forever scarred the 4th of July celebrations for many. Robert 'Bobby' Crimo III, considered the suspect in this mass shooting, was arrested by the police in North Lake Forest, Chicago, after 7 pm local time Monday, July 4. He was arrested after a short pursuit and reportedly surrendered peacefully. The police revealed that the shooting began around 10:14 am.
Chris Covelli, spokesman for the Lake County Major Crimes Taskforce revealed that the 22-year-old shooter who was said to be on a rooftop, was spotted wearing a woman's disguise and this was captured in the CCTV footage. A surveillance photo obtained by local outlet WGN-TV shows Crimo in a woman's outfit and what appears to be a black wig. Explaining this development, Covelli said, "Crimo was dressed in women’s clothing and investigators do believe he did this to conceal his facial tattoos and his identity. He was seen on a video camera in women’s clothing. A wig is not out of the question." Chris explained that post firing almost 70 rounds into the crowd, he wrapped his rifle in a red blanket and threw it behind the building. He then blended in with the crowd as if he was innocent. he continued, "He blended right in with everybody else as they were running around — almost as if he was an innocent spectator as well.”
RELATED ARTICLES
The investigators believe that he wore this outfit to hide his distinct neck and tattoos. On Tuesday afternoon, July 5, Crimo was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder charges for each person that he killed, as explained by Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart. Covelli also said that "We do believe Crimo pre-planned this attack for several weeks,” Covelli said, adding that investigators were still trying to determine a motive. Investigators … have been in discussions with him. I don’t have anything to say about motivation thus far because it hasn’t been provided. We have no indication to suggest at this point that it was racially motivated, motivated by religion."
Crimo's uncle Paul Crimo, told The Sun how he saw his nephew dressed as a girl about a year ago but could not understand why. He recalled how the 22-year-old "wore women's clothes at least once in the past" after cops revealed that Crimo fled the scene of the crime wearing a disguise and a wig. “I’m shocked ... It’s too much to process," Paul said.
"There were no warning signs. Nothing that I saw.”
Crimo's previous history of run-ins with the police
This is not the first time that Crimo has come under the radar. Police first had contact with him in 2019 when an individual contacted the department on a delayed report of attempted suicide. The authorities came in touch with him once again in the same year in September when a family member claimed that Crimo was going to kill everyone. The officials removed 16 knives, a dagger, and a sword from the house. However, the police did not have probable cause to arrest him.
The police also explained that they found another rifle and a least 3 handguns in the Honda Fit that he was driving. He purchased his high-powered AR-15-style rifle and the other one locally and legally in 2020 and 2021. Eric Rinehart said, "Today, the Lake County State Attorney's Office has charged Robert Crimo III with 7 counts of first-degree murder, for the killing spree he has unleashed against our community." The listeners immediately rejoiced at this news as Rinehart continued, "These are just the first of many charges that will be filed. I want to emphasize that. There will be more charges."