Robert Crimo

“	I need to just do it. It is my destiny.	„
	~ Crimo in one of his videos.

Robert Eugene "Bobby" Crimo III (born September 20, 2000) is an American man who committed the Highland Park shooting on July 4, 2022, which left 7 dead and 46 injured.

History

Crimo, a former student of Highland Park High School, has performed under the stage name "Awake the Rapper". Recent music videos by him on YouTube depicted mass shootings and characters being shot by police; the account is no longer available. Crimo frequently visited an online message board that discussed graphic depictions of death. He posted a beheading video the week before the shooting. Crimo also had his own Discord server, which was invaded by 4chan members after the shooting and has since been shut down.

Law enforcement identified two prior encounters with Crimo: a 911 call in April 2019 reporting that he attempted to commit suicide and a September 2019 incident regarding alleged threats by Crimo to a family member. In April 2019, police seized 16 knives, a dagger, and a sword from Crimo after a family member reported to the police that he planned to "kill everyone". He was not charged with a crime at the time. Three months before the shooting, a Highland Park rabbi stated that Crimo had entered a local Chabad House during the Passover seder and was asked to leave. The Chabad House is located two blocks from where the July 4 shooting occurred.

Shooting

The shooting began at 10:14 a.m. in downtown Highland Park, with the shooter firing a rifle from the rooftop of the Ross Cosmetics building, a local store on the northwest corner of Central Avenue and 2nd Street. The gunman had gained access to the elevated position by using an unsecured ladder attached to the building. The parade had not quite reached the intersection when the attack began.

A total of 83 shots were fired. Victims included spectators and some of those marching in the parade. Witnesses initially reported that at least five bloodied people were lying on the ground. At least one parade attendee provided medical treatment to those injured, before first responders arrived.

Footage shot by Chicago Sun-Times reporter Lynn Sweet, a spectator at the parade, shows a participating Klezmer band on a float continuing to play as gunfire began, and many attendees running while screaming. Additional photos of the scene were captured by attendees and posted to social media.

Over 100 law enforcement officers from multiple agencies responded to the shooting. The shooter ceased firing as law enforcement officers approached the building, fleeing the scene and evading immediate capture. A rifle was recovered at the scene. The shooter remained at large for at least eight hours after the incident.

According to the Lake County prosecutor's office, the shooter used a Smith & Wesson M&P15 semiautomatic rifle with three 30-round magazines.

Crimo was charged with 117 felony counts, including 21 counts of first-degree murder, and is being held without bail.

Victims

• Irina McCarthy, 35
• Kevin McCarthy, 37
• Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63
• Katherine Goldstein, 64
• Eduardo Uvaldo, 69
• Nicholas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78
• Stephen Strauss, 88