Re: Homosexual suspect in Highland Park shooting allegedly planned attack for several weeks before firing more than 70 rounds on parade crowd while wearing women's clothing, police say

[Social Media Enables Mass Shooters]

In article <ss4ob4$dal6$2...@news.freedyn.de>
<governo...@gmail.com> wrote:

Social media has once again established their role in mass
shootings by failing to monitor and report anti-social behavior
by mentally ill users.

The man suspected of killing at least six people and injuring
more than 30 others Monday morning during a Fourth of July
parade in Highland Park allegedly planned the attack for several
weeks before he climbed a fire escape ladder and fired on the
crowd from the roof of a building, authorities said at a news
conference Tuesday.

The suspect, Robert “Bobby” E. Crimo III, 21, dressed as a woman
in order to evade detection, according to Chris Covelli, a
spokesman with the Lake County Major Crime Task Force. After
firing more than 70 rounds, Crimo exited the roof, dropped the
rifle, slipped into the crowd and went to his mother’s house, he
said.

“Throughout the past 24 hours, investigators have spoken with
numerous witnesses, some of the survivors, have had the
opportunity to review numerous video clips from cellphones and
fixed cameras and conducted a number of other follow-up
investigations,” Covelli said.

Investigators haven’t determined a motive, though Covelli said
investigators have been in “in discussions” with Crimo. No one
else appears to have been involved in the shooting.

The gun that was used in the attack was purchased legally in
Illinois by Crimo, authorities said.

[ Highland Park parade shooting: What to know ]

During the Tuesday morning news conference, law enforcement
officials offered further details about the attack and the
ensuing investigation.

“He brought a high-powered rifle to this parade. He accessed the
roof of a business via a fire escape ladder and began opening
fire on the innocent Independence Day celebration goers,”
Covelli said.

Investigators believe Crimo disguised himself as a woman in
order to hide his facial tattoos and aid in his escape from the
scene, according to Covelli.

After escaping, Crimo walked to his mother’s house and borrowed
her vehicle, Covelli said. There is no indication he shared
anything about his alleged involvement in the shooting with his
mother.

Following a police alert for the vehicle, an “alert member of
community” saw it and called 911.

After he was apprehended, officers found another rifle in the
vehicle, Covelli said, which also appeared to have been legally
purchased by Crimo. Other weapons were found in his Highwood
home.

Crimo remains in custody and has not yet been charged.

Investigators are asking members of the community to come
forward with any video they may have of Crimo at the parade.

“The community has been absolutely terrific as it comes to
reporting information they may have, things they may have
witnessed, turning over video,” Covelli said.

Details on the original purchase of the weapon came from an
expedited trace conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives in the wake of the shooting. The weapon
has been described by authorities as “high powered.”

The expedited trace provided a “major lead” to investigators,
according to Covelli.

He also told the Tribune that the FBI is sending in an expert
team to reconstruct the shooting, which means items left along
the parade route will likely remain for several days.

Authorities continued to investigate Tuesday after a gunman
opened fire on a Fourth of July parade in north suburban
Highland Park on Monday, sending crowds of people fleeing from
the parade route, leaving behind chairs, blankets, strollers and
other remnants from the holiday celebration.

The victims ranged in age from 8 to 85. None of those killed
were children, authorities said.

[ In painful, chilling detail, witnesses recount deadly mass
shooting at Highland Park Fourth of July parade ]

Parade attendees described hearing a barrage of bullets while
watching floats and marchers on the street. People grabbed
children and ran, taking cover in nearby shops. A tuba player
recalled watching people running in panic while his band played.

The attack shuttered much of the North Shore while law
enforcement from more than 100 agencies searched for the gunman.
Parades and events in nearby towns were canceled while many
sheltered in place, leaving quiet streets on the normally
jubilant holiday.

Police arrested Crimo Monday evening following an hourslong
search. He had previously been described as a “person of
interest” in the case by Highland Park police. After a short
chase, he was apprehended without incident, authorities said.

Police recovered a rifle at the crime scene.

[ Highland Park was at the center of gun-control debate long
before Monday’s shooting; just days ago city honored Uvalde
victims ]

Crimo posted online videos under the name The Awake Rapper, some
with chilling references to violence, including one that
features footage of a young man in a bedroom and a classroom
along with cartoons of a gunman and people being shot.

In an interview with the Today Show on NBC, Highland Park Mayor
Nancy Rotering said she knew the suspect when he was a little
boy and she was a cub scout leader.

”It’s one of those things where you step back and you say what
happened? How did somebody become this angry, this hateful, to
then take it out on innocent people who literally were just
having a family day out,” Rotering said in the interview.

On Tuesday morning, downtown Highland Park was still littered
with detritus left behind during the shooting. The parade route
was lined with abandoned lawn chairs and strollers. American
flags waved.

Some stunned residents tried to keep to normal routines, while
bracing for more news of the dead and injured. Others picked up
trash outside of the area still cordoned off by police.

In one case, officers let a sobbing woman through the police
tape to retrieve a car seat.

Outside of the Highland Park Police Department, two young girls
wrote in multicolor chalk on the pavement: “Thank you first
responders.”

Small memorials began emerging in the area on Tuesday. Samantha
Lanty and Meghan Higginson, both 20, learned under yellow crime
scene and placed a bouquet of white flowers on the sidewalk. The
women recalled attending the parade as a child, as well as
growing up attending active shooter drills.

“How many events to keep occurring before someone steps up to
change something?” Lanty said.

A block from the parade route, a group of men met for coffee
near a Starbucks, where they’ve gathered every morning for 15
years. They had to bring their morning coffee from Dunkin’
because their store remained closed.

”We meet here every day to talk normally about fun stuff. Today
is not so fun,” Highland Park resident Andrew Stone said. ”This
is such a small community. We’re all going to know someone who
was injured.”

The men tried to find out who among the people they knew was
shot. A family friend took a bullet to the foot. A woman at the
temple had been killed, they found out.

They argued over why it happened here, in the tight-knit
community they once thought was safe. Across the table, Jim
Terman said he had been watching the parade from the block where
the shooting happened. He can’t stop thinking about it.

”It just runs through your mind,” he said.

Authorities have not released the names of the victims, but
details about some of those who were killed and injured have
emerged.

Among those killed was Jacki Sundheim, who worshipped and
coordinated events at a Glencoe synagogue.

Among the injured was Chicago Public Schools teacher Zoe
Kolpack, who was shot in the femur while attending the parade
with her husband, Stephen; their two young children; her
parents; and Stephen’s family, according to family friend
Samantha Whitehead, who is raising money for medical costs.

Whitehead said Stephen Kolpack and Zoe’s dad, Mike Joyce, were
shot in the leg as well, while Stephen’s brother, Nicholas, was
shot in the kneecap. The injuries are not life-threatening, and
the Kolpack children were unharmed, Whitehead said.

Whitehead said Zoe’s mother, Nancy Joyce, grabbed the two small
kids and hid in a nearby building for about 45 minutes, until
they were given the all-clear.

Meanwhile, Zoe’s dad “was hovering (over) her and protecting her
because she couldn’t move. And she just said that, like, people
were just running past her, and she was just screaming, ‘help,
help.’ She said she felt like it went on for like 30 minutes,”
Whitehead said.

Whitehead had raised about $140,000 through GoFundMe as of
Tuesday morning.

In a statement, CPS said it was “devastated to learn that one of
our CPS teachers and her family members are among those who were
injured in Monday’s mass shooting in Highland Park.” Zoe, who
has worked for the district since 2017, teaches preschool at
William Dever Elementary School on the Northwest Side. CPS said
“support services will be available to support the Dever
Elementary staff and students as needed.”

Check back for updates.

Chicago Tribune reporter Emily Hoerner contributed.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-highland-park-
shooting-day-after-20220705-2bfeprry5vckpjhugmn5oiuaj4-story.html