Highland Park shooting: Robert Crimo’s parents say they had ‘zero’ role in July 4 parade attack
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A toddler was orphaned after his father shielded him from semi-automatic gunfire in the Independence Day parade shooting in Illinois.
Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering told NBC that Kevin McCarthy had laid across his two-year-old son Aiden to protect him from gunfire during Monday’s mass shooting.
Ms Rotering said the image of Aiden, who also lost mother Irina, would “haunt” her for the rest of her life.
On Wednesday, Robert Crimo was denied bail after he made his first court appearance on Wednesday on seven charges of first-degree murder.
Prosecutors told the judge the 21-year-old made a “voluntary statement confessing to his actions” and revealed that the young man had made his way to Madison, Wisconsin, where he intended to commit another mass shooting but turned back.
If convicted, he will face life in prison without the possibility of parole.
According to police, Mr Crimo had planned an attack for weeks and fired more than 80 rounds randomly into the crowd watching the parade, killing seven and injuring more than three dozen people.
Hours before the Independence Day shooting, Mr Crimo reportedly told his father that the gunman behind Sunday’s shooting in Denmark was “an idiot”.
How was Robert Crimo able to legally buy guns after he threatened to kill his family?
Victims of the Highland Park mass shooting: What we know so far
Highland Park suspect talked about Denmark mass shooting hours before own attack, father reveals
What we know about gun used by alleged Highland Park shooter Robert Crimo
Nearly $3m raised for boy orphaned in Highland Park shooting as billionaire donates $18k
Kamala Harris under fire for ‘incoherent’ speech at Highland Park shooting site
Kamala Harris has been criticized for her speech in Highland Park, Illinois, the Chicago suburb that was the site of an Independence Day massacre which took the lives of seven people.
The vice president made brief remarks during her visit on Tuesday, a day after the July 4th parade shooting in which more than 30 people were injured.
“We’ve got to take this stuff seriously, as seriously as you are because you have been forced to take this seriously,” she said.
“The whole nation should understand and have a level of empathy to understand that this could happen anywhere [to] any people in any community. And we should stand together and speak out about why it’s got to stop,” she added.
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
Kamala Harris under fire for ‘incoherent’ speech at Highland Park shooting site
‘She did not always sound this incoherent when put on the spot, right? Am I misremembering? It’s getting weird’
Highland Park shooting suspect’s mother confronted SWAT team hours after shooting
The mother of Highland Park suspect Robert Crimo angrily confronted a SWAT team in the aftermath of the July 4th mass shooting.
Video obtained by CBS News shows Denise Pesina shouting and gesturing at officers in McDaniels Avenue, Highland Park, on Monday, as a massive manhunt was underway for her son.
Read more below.
Highland Park suspect’s mother confronted SWAT team in hours after deadly attack
Denise Pesina was seen pictured in an angry encounter with police after the July 4th mass shooting
America has already seen more than 300 mass shootings and 15 mass killings in 2022
The tragedy in Highland Park is the 15th mass killing of 2022 and the 11th mass shooting of the holiday weekend in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
The organisation defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are shot or killed. Within the first 185 days of 2022, there have been an average of 11 a week.
Read more on the epidemic of mass shootings in Alex Woodward’s report.
America has seen more than 300 mass shootings and 15 mass killings this year
Within the first 185 days of 2022, there have been an average of 11 mass shootings a week
Father of orphaned toddler died using body to shield his son
The 2-year-old boy who was left orphaned after the Highland Park massacre was reportedly protected from the spray of bullets raining down from the rooftop near the July 4th parade by his own deceased father’s body, according to the child’s grandfather.
Aiden McCarthy survived the mass shooting that claimed the lives of his parents Kevin, 37, and Irina, 35.
Read more from Johanna Chisholm here.
Dad used his body to shield 2-year-old son left orphaned from Highland Park shooting
‘He had Aiden under his body when he was shot,’ said Michael Levberg, the grandfather of 2-year-old Aiden
Robert Crimo’s disturbing online world
His uncle said he “saw no signs of trouble”.
The mayor said she remembers him as “just a little boy” when she knew him as a Cub Scout.
Local police said that he wasn’t even on their radar.
But a close look at Robert Crimo’s online presence tells a very different story.
Rachel Sharp examines the numerous red flags raised by Robert Crimo’s online behaviour.
The disturbing online world of Highland Park shooting suspect Robert Crimo
A trail of disturbing online posts including videos glorifying school shootings and mass violence have raised questions whether red flags were missed, reports Rachel Sharp
What we know about gun used by alleged Highland Park shooter Robert Crimo
The gun used in the Highland Park July 4th parade mass shooting that killed seven and wounded dozens was a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle, authorities have revealed.
Prosecutors say Robert “Bobby” Crimo III fired more than 80 rounds from a rooftop onto an Independence Day crowd, reloading three times, before escaping down a fire escape while disguised as a woman and melting into the crowd.
After fleeing the rooftop, authorities said the weapon fell out of his bag in an alley.
They found the rifle, three 30-round high-capacity magazines and 83 spent shell casings around the scene.
The M&P 15 gun is described in marketing as an “AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle” which is designed for “police and consumer markets”.
Read more about how Crimo obtained the weapon below.
What we know about gun used by alleged Highland Park shooter Robert Crimo
The AR-15-like weapon used in the Highland Park shooting was bought legally
Suspect’s parents offer ‘thoughts and prayers’ as son charged with seven counts of murder
The parents of Highland Park mass shooting suspect Robert Crimo have offered “thoughts and prayers” after their son was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder.
“We are all mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, and this is a terrible tragedy for many families, the victims, the paradegoers, the community, and our own,” Bob and Denise Crimo in a statement released through their attorney Steve Greenberg.
Read Shweta Sharma’s full story here.
Robert Crimo’s parents offer ‘thoughts and prayers’ over Highland Park mass shooting
Attorney says parents are ‘as stunned and shocked as anyone’
Robert Crimo makes first court appearance as prosecutor says he confessed to Highland Park shooting
Dressed in a black t-shirt and his long dark hair down around his face, Robert Crimo stared expressionless into the camera as the judge ordered that he be held without bond during his first appearance on Wednesday.
Rachel Sharp has the details.
Robert Crimo makes first court appearance over Highland Park shooting
Robert Crimo appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday for a bond hearing in the 19th Circuit Court in Lake County, Illinois
Everything we know about the July 4 parade mass shooting
Fresh details continue to emerge about the mass shooting at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park on Monday.
Here’s everything we know about the deadly attack that left seven dead, dozens wounded, and a community in mourning.
Everything we know about the July 4 parade shooting in Highland Park, Illinois
Suspect makes first court appearance Terrified parade-goers fled after shots fired into crowd from high-powered rifle, killing seven and leaving dozens wounded
Police release photo of suspect's gun
Police have released a photograph of the weapon used by the Highland Park shooting suspect.
Police said 22-year-old Robert “Bobby” Crimp confessed to the shooting at the Independence Day parade on Wednesday.
He allegedly said he fled to the Madison, Wisconsin, area, where he contemplated shooting up another event.
Lake County assistant state’s attorney Ben Dillon said in court that the shells of 83 bullets and three ammunition magazines were found on the rooftop that he fired from.
Authorities initially said they had recovered a “rifle” from along the July 4th parade route, and that they were deliberately withholding further details as they hunted for the gunman.