Shooting at the 4th of July parade: "A premeditated attack for weeks"

Robert E. Crimo III had been planning the attack on Highland Park , a northern suburb of Chicago, Illinois for weeks, "but without a specific purpose".

This is what emerges from the first investigations into the shooting during the July 4th parade in which seven people died and 38 were injured. The 20-year-old was charged with seven first-degree killings , "charges that will guarantee a life sentence without the possibility of parole," announced Eric Rinehart, Lake County attorney, speaking of "many other charges" including the attempted killings. and psychological victims . He will therefore ask that the young man be detained without the possibility of release on bail.

Lonely, frustrated and outcast, rapper with a passion for violent rhymes, longtime fan of Donald Trump, Crimo on the morning of Independence Day climbed to the roof of a building along the way using a fire escape. with a high-capacity rifle in hand and began firing 70 shots at the cheering crowd.

Then he disguised himself as a woman, complete with a wig , to blend in and hide the many tattoos on his face and neck, went to his mother's house and took his Honda before being stopped by the police who found another one in the car. rifle. A very well-studied sequence of events, which suggest that the attack was "premeditated for weeks", yet without a specific goal. At the moment the police have not found a motive and have ruled out religious or racist motives .

A lot of violence on his social profiles, and not just virtual. In 2019 he attempted to kill himself, and the case was dealt with by the mental health services. Five months later he threatened to "kill all" his family : the intervening agents seized 16 knives, a sword and a dagger but did not proceed with the arrest because there was no "valid reason" and the family members did not report. Despite these precedents, the young man managed to buy five weapons, including rifles and pistols .

Meanwhile, yesterday in the city there was a surprise visit by US Vice President Kamala Harris after speaking at an event in Chicago in which she asked Congress to "have the courage" to ban assault weapons and "put an end to the protection "of arms manufacturers.

(Unioneonline / D)