"Crimo pre-planned this attack": Officials claim Highland Park July 4 parade shooter designed massacre in advance 

On July 4, 2022, Highland Park witnessed a tragedy that left the entire community reeling. The mass shooting, which claimed six lives and injured dozens, has been condemned severely by the mayor, Nancy Rotering, and the governor, JB Pritzker.

On Monday evening, the prime suspect, Robert "Bobby" Crimo III, was arrested by the police after an officer spotted his mother's car. Prosecutors are yet to file charges against him.

In a press conference on Tuesday, July 5, Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Chris Covelli stated that the police have reason to believe that Crimo had the entire attack planned for days. According to the police, more than 70 rounds were shot at the parade-goers.

"We do believe Crimo pre-planned this attack for several weeks."

Covelli further stated that the Highland Park shooter had climbed onto the roof of a building using a fire escape ladder. From that vantage point, he indiscriminately shot at the gathered crowd below. To escape unnoticed, the shooter dressed up in women's attire, which helped cover his face and tattoos, said Covelli. The rifle used in the shooting was left behind on the roof. He had every detail covered.

According to Covelli, the suspect had blended in with the panicked crowd rushing to safety and had borrowed his mother's car to escape the scene. Hours later, he was found by the police in the same vehicle. His motive behind this pre-planned fatal attack, however, is still unknown.

---

What led to the Highland Park shooting?: Rapper Robert Crimo exhibited violent patterns online

Over the past two days, several disturbing things about Crimo have made their rounds on the internet. An amateur rapper known by the alias 'Awake the Rapper,' Crimo has previously talked in great detail about his desire to shoot people.

In a caricature found online, a man, presumably Crimo, can be seen holding people hostage at gunpoint. In another, a gunman is shot dead by the police. Journalist Steven Monacelli found multiple videos posted on YouTube containing "violent imagery."

According to police, the suspect had another legally purchased rifle in the car at the time of his arrest. More firearms were found at his home, all suspected of being purchased legally in Illinois.

Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering told CBS Mornings that she knew the suspect as a child. Since the attack, she has been very vocal about her demands for systemic change.

"I was his Cub Scout pack leader...I'm not sure what happened to him to compel him to commit this kind of evil in his hometown, but we have a city that is in deep mourning today, and we are going to take a long time to heal from all of this."

The Highland Park shooting was one of the many shootings in the USA over the holiday weekend itself. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker called the current surge in gun violence incidents a "plague."