Highland Park shooting recap: 7 people killed, suspect faces murder charges

A member of the FBI's evidence response team removes an American flag one day after a mass shooting in downtown Highland Park on Tuesday, July 5, 2022.
A member of the FBI's evidence response team removes an American flag one day after a mass shooting in downtown Highland Park on Tuesday, July 5, 2022. AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast
Key Updates
  • Seven people were killed in the Highland Park mass shooting, including both the mother and father of a toddler.
  • The shooting suspect was charged with first-degree murder in each victim's death.
  • More information continues to emerge about those who died and survived the July 4 attack.
2022-07-08T02:19:07Z

An 8-year-old boy is paralyzed from the waist down after being shot in the Highland Park shooting

Cooper Roberts is seen in an undated photo prior to the Highland Park shooting where he was shot in the chest.
Cooper Roberts is seen in an undated photo prior to the Highland Park shooting where he was shot in the chest. Courtesy Anthony J. Loizzi

Eight-year-old Cooper Roberts was shot in the chest and is suffering from a severed spine, his family spokesperson said at a press conference Thursday.

His mother, Keely, was shot in the leg or foot region and Cooper's twin, Luke, was impacted by shrapnel.

"It's going to be a new normal for him going forward," Anthony Loizzi said during the virtual press conference. "They're not sure, due to the severed spinal cord, whether or not he'll be able to walk again in the future."

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2022-07-07T15:17:20Z

Illinois State Police director defends approving the Highland Park shooting suspect's gun permit

The Illinois state police's director defended the agency's decision to give the Highland Park shooting suspect a gun permit.

The shooting suspect was able to get his gun permit despite a report being filed against him in 2019 alleging that he made a threat to "kill everyone."

"It was determined there was insufficient evidence to establish a clear and present danger," said IPS director Brendan Kelly.

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2022-07-07T10:17:00Z

Dad of Highland Park shooting suspect explains why he sponsored his son's gun permit application

Backs of FBI agents next to US flag
FBI agents work the scene of a shooting at a Fourth of July parade on July 5, 2022 in Highland Park, Illinois. Jim Vondruska/Getty Images

The father of the man charged in the deadly mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park said he sponsored his son's gun permit application because he thought he wanted to go to a shooting range.

Robert Crimo Jr. told the New York Post that his son passed background checks before buying each of his guns.

"You know, he drove there, he ordered them, he picked them up, they did his background check on each one," he told the Post.

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2022-07-07T06:17:00Z

Billionaire Bill Ackman donates $18,000 to toddler orphaned in Highland Park shooting

Bill Ackman, CEO of Pershing Square Capital, speaks at the Wall Street Journal Digital Conference in Laguna Beach, California, U.S., October 17, 2017.
Bill Ackman, CEO of Pershing Square Capital, at the Wall Street Journal Digital Conference in California, October 17, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman donated $18,000 to a GoFundMe page raising funds for 2-year-old Aiden McCarthy, whose parents were killed at the Fourth of July shooting in Highland Park, Illinois.

An organizer set up the GoFundMe donation page for McCarthy on Tuesday with permission from the family, according to the page. It aimed to raise $500,000 but has garnered over $2.8 million in donations from over 52,000 people so far.

A representative for Ackman confirmed the donation to Insider, but did not provide further comments.

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2022-07-06T23:26:29Z

Toddler left orphaned in Highland Park July 4 shooting was saved by father, who used his body as a shield, grandfather says

A memorial set up in Highland Park, Illinois.
A memorial is set up for the seven people killed and dozens injured in the mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois.. Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Photos

One of the victims of the July Fourth shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, used his own body to protect his two-year-old son from the 21-year-old shooting suspect.

Kevin McCarthy, 37, died shielding his son Aiden McCarthy, Michael Levberg, the man's father-in-law, told The Chicago Sun-Times. The child was not injured, CBS News reported.

"He had Aiden under his body when he was shot," Levberg said.

The boy's mother, and Levberg's daughter, Irina McCarthy, 35, also died in the mass shooting that killed seven people and injured dozens more.

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2022-07-06T20:02:07Z

A survivor described hiding in an elevator for an hour with her 4 children after the shooting

Kelsey Payne told Insider that she went to the parade with her husband and four children, aged 6 weeks, two, four, and eight years old. 

Payne said she initially thought the gunfire was fireworks, but fled when her husband recognized the sound of a gun reloading.

"That's when he said 'grab the kids and go,'" Payne told Insider. 

"We got to the elevators and got in and another family came in and hit 'go' on the elevator and once it started moving, we pulled the emergency stop and just hid," she added.

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2022-07-06T16:38:07Z

Highland Park shooting suspect considered another shooting attack in Madison, Wisconsin, authorities allege

An image of two police officers at the scene of the mass shooting at Highland Park in Chicago, Illinois
A police officer picks up a water-logged American flag, Tuesday, July 5, 2022, left behind after Monday's mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois. Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

The suspect in the Highland Park parade shooting allegedly considered carrying out another attack in Madison, Wisconsin, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said that the 21-year-old shooting suspect drove towards Wisconsin in order to carry out another attack at a "celebration."

But the man chose to turn around and drive back to the Chicago suburbs instead because he hadn't fully planned an attack, Covelli alleged.

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2022-07-06T16:14:12Z

The Highland Park shooting suspect admitted to carrying out the massacre during police interview, prosecutors allege

A stretcher is seen after a mass shooting at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade in downtown Highland Park, Ill.
A stretcher is seen after a mass shooting at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade in downtown Highland Park, Ill. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

The 21-year-old man accused of killing seven people and wounding dozens of others in a shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, confessed to carrying out the massacre to police, prosecutors alleged during a court hearing on Wednesday. 

Lake County Assistant State Attorney Ben Dillon said the suspect in the shooting identified himself and the high-powered rifle used in the attack on surveillance footage.

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2022-07-06T14:06:05Z

Highland Park victim's daughter says she couldn't stop running to comfort her mom because the gunman was still shooting

The daughter of a woman killed in the Highland Park, Illinois, Fourth of July shooting said she couldn't stop running to comfort her mother after she was shot because the gunman was still shooting at the crowd. 

Katherine Goldstein was one of seven killed in the Highland Park parade shooting when a gunman opened fire on crowds from the rooftop of a nearby building, police said. At least 31 more were injured in the carnage. 

"She was just a good mom and I got 22 years with her," Cassie Goldstein said. "And I got to have 22 years with the best mom in the world." 

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2022-07-06T12:00:00Z

Police granted Highland Park suspect a gun license months after he had weapons confiscated for making a violent threat

Two officers stand near 2nd and Central avenues at a mass shooting crime scene Monday, July 4, 2022, in Highland Park, Illinois. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Two officers stand in Highland Park, Illinois, on July 4, 2022. John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Police in Illinois granted the suspect in the Highland Park shooting a gun license four months after local police confiscated his weapons after a family member said he threatened to kill people.

In September 2019, Highland Park Police confiscated 16 knives, a dagger, and a sword from the home of the suspect in the shooting, The Daily Beast reported.

That intervention came after a family member reported that he said was going to "kill everyone," police said Tuesday.

However, this was not enough to prevent Illinois State Police — a different agency — from approving him for gun ownership in early 2020. In Illinois this comes via a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card.

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2022-07-06T10:00:00Z

The Highland Park shooting suspect is due in court on Wednesday

Brooke and Matt Strauss, who were married Sunday, pause after leaving their wedding bouquets in downtown Highland Park on Tuesday, July 5, 2022
Newlyweds Brooke and Matt Strauss pause on July 5, 2022, after leaving their wedding bouquets near the scene of the mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois. AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

The suspect in the mass shooting is due to appear in court for the first time on Wednesday, CNN reported and ABC7 Chicago reported.

Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said at a Tuesday news conference that the shooting suspect faces seven counts of first-degree murder, and will later face "dozens" more charges.

A 2-year-old found in Highland Park kept asking for his parents. They had both been killed.

A member of the FBI's evidence response team removes an American flag one day after a mass shooting in downtown Highland Park on Tuesday, July 5, 2022.
A member of the FBI's evidence response team removes an American flag one day after a mass shooting in downtown Highland Park on Tuesday, July 5, 2022. AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

A toddler whose parents were killed in the Highland Park mass shooting kept asking if they were coming back, a woman who looked after him said.

The two-year-old boy, Aiden McCarthy, was found covered in blood at the Highland Park mass shooting, CBS News reported on Tuesday.

His parents, 35-year-old Irina McCarthy and 37-year-old Kevin McCarthy, were killed. Aiden was not injured, CBS said.

Lauren Silva, 38, and her boyfriend told the Daily Beast that they found him.

He kept asking "are mom and dad coming back soon?" Silva told the Daily Beast.

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2022-07-06T04:34:49Z

Highland Park mayor: People said they could tell by looking at mass shooting victims which were unlikely to survive based on 'unbelievable violence' they endured

Empty chairs, a bicycle and a stroller are seen after a mass shooting at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade in downtown Highland Park, Ill., a Chicago suburb on Monday, July 4, 2022.
Empty chairs strewn on the ground following Monday's mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois. Nam Y. Huh/AP

Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering told Insider that people said they could determine which victims would likely not survive the "unbelievable violence" of Monday's mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, just by looking at them.

Dozens are still recovering after a gunman fired into the crowd at a Fourth of July parade, killing seven people and injuring at least 31 others. Six people died on Monday, and one died from their injuries on Tuesday. Nine people are currently hospitalized.

Law enforcement said Tuesday that the shooter carried out the attack with a rifle and shot over 70 rounds as people in the crowd fled for their lives. The shooter has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder, Lake County State Attorney Eric Rinehart said at a press conference on Tuesday.

"The victims are ranging based on, obviously, their injuries," Rotering told Insider. "We lost another person who succumbed to their injuries. People said they could tell from looking at them who was going to make it and who likely would succumb just because of the unbelievable violence that they endured."

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2022-07-06T03:58:31Z

Highland Park mayor says she's received a 'literal handbook' for mayors about how to deal with mass shootings

Vice President Kamala Harris walks next to Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering.
US Vice President Kamala Harris walks next to Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering during a surprise visit to the site of Monday's mass shooting. Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images

The mayor of Highland Park, Nancy Rotering, said she received a "literal handbook" for mayors about dealing with mass shootings in the wake of Monday's attack in her city.

During a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, a gunman fired into the crowd around 10.14 a.m. local time. The attack has left at least seven people dead and dozens more injured.

Speaking with PBS News Hour, Rotering said other mayors who have dealt with mass shootings in their communities have reached out to her.

"They are telling me that this is going to take a long time to heal from," she told Insider. "They've shared with me a handbook for mayors of what to do post a mass shooting, which is just unbelievable that there's a handbook for mayors."

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2022-07-06T03:33:59Z

Highland Park mayor says she was the shooting suspect's Cub Scout leader

Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering speaks with the media at the end of Central Avenue following yesterday's mass shooting on July 5, 2022, in Highland Park.
Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering speaks with the media at the end of Central Avenue following Monday's mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois. Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering said she had known Robert E. Crimo III, the 21-year-old suspect in Monday's mass shooting, since he was a child.

"I know him as somebody who was a Cub Scout when I was the Cub Scout leader," Rotering told NBC's Today talk show in an interview released on Tuesday.

"And it's one of those things where you step back and you say, 'What happened?'" she said. "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?"

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2022-07-06T03:31:33Z

Mayor of Highland Park details the aftermath of 'unbelievable' mass shooting

Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering stands among authorities during a news conference.
Mayor Nancy Rotering and Police Chief Louis Jogman hold a news conference near the scene of the Highland Park mass shooting. Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images

A gunman on Monday opened fire at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, killing seven people and injuring dozens more in one of the most recent mass shootings to plague the nation.

Community members in the North Chicago suburb had gathered to celebrate the town's first Fourth of July parade in years after the previous two events were canceled due to COVID-19.

Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering was among the parade participants and attendees when shots rang out. 

The next 36 hours were a blur of disbelief, heartbreak, and fury, Rotering told Insider. Authorities pursued the suspect in an hours-long manhunt and arrested a 21-year-old man who was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder on Tuesday. 

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2022-07-06T03:00:03Z

Mother describes how her family escaped the gunman's rampage: 'How did we survive?'

A road sign near the site of the Highland Park mass shooting
Flowers are laid near the scene of a shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, where at least seven people were killed. Jim Vondruska/Getty Images

A woman whose family narrowly escaped the Highland Park shooter's violent rampage described how she and her husband ran from the gunman while shielding their children. 

Natalie Lorentz told CBS that she and her husband had just sat down on the side of the street to watch the July 4th parade when she heard the "rapid-fire" gunshots ring out. 

 "I grabbed my youngest son. My husband had my other two kids. My mom was running with us. She fell and got separated from us," Lorentz said. 

She recalled how she and her husband tried shielding their children from the sight of people who had been shot.

"It was the worst moment of my entire life," Lorentz told CBS.

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2022-07-06T02:28:12Z

Lake County state's attorney calls for nationwide ban on assault weapons in aftermath of Highland Park shooting that left at least seven dead

Police vehicles at the scene of the Fourth of July parade shooting in Highland Park, Illinois on Monday.
Police vehicles at the scene of the Fourth of July parade shooting in Highland Park, Illinois on Monday. Jim Vondruska/Getty Images

Lake County State Attorney Eric Rinehart called for a nationwide ban on assault weapons after a mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, left at least seven people dead on July 4.

Rinehart made the plea to action after announcing charges against the shooting suspect in a press conference held Tuesday near the location of the shooting.

After praising the state's existing red flag laws, Rinehart said "we should also ban assault weapons in Illinois and beyond."

The state attorney pointed to the Federal Assault Weapons Ban that Congress passed in 1994 and expired ten years later as an example of a piece of legislation that should be implemented.

"We should have that same ban in Illinois and beyond, in the entire country," he said.

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2022-07-06T02:25:13Z

Highland park shooting suspect charged with 7 counts of first-degree murder with 'dozens more' to be pursued, state attorney says

Highland Park shooting scene
FBI agents work the scene of a shooting at a Fourth of July parade on July 5, 2022 in Highland Park, Illinois. Jim Vondruska/Getty Images

The shooting suspect in the Highland Park Fourth of July parade mass shooting was charged with seven counts of first degree murder, Lake County State Attorney Eric Rinehart said on Tuesday.

The man identified as the shooting suspect will appear in court on Wednesday. At least seven people died in the massacre, which occurred during the morning of a parade in the Highland Park suburb of Chicago, Illinois.

Dozens were injured during the shooting spree, where the shooter shot more than 70 rounds, authorities said.

The shooter carried the attack out with a rifle and owned at least 5 guns, authorities added on Tuesday

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2022-07-05T22:17:49Z

Highland Park high schooler says the Supreme Court 'could have prevented this' after 7 killed in mass shooting

Stephanie Diaz holds a sign that says "You could have prevented this @SCOTUS."
Stephanie Diaz, 16, holds a sign near the site of a Monday Fourth of July mass shooting at a Highland Park parade. Katie Anthony/Insider

Stephanie Diaz stood near the Highland Park parade-route-turned-crime scene on Tuesday afternoon.

Police cars and yellow tape littered the site where a gunman killed seven people and injured dozens more in a Monday mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in the affluent North Chicago suburb.

The 16-year-old Highland Park High School student carried with her a sign displaying a simple, but pointed message: "You could have prevented this @SCOTUS," the poster read. 

"This can't keep happening. We can't keep having mass shootings and doing nothing about it," Diaz told Insider. "We need a change."

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Highland Park teen tells lawmakers to 'come to see what their loose gun laws have done' after mass shooting leaves 6 dead

Highland Park shooting scene
FBI agents work the scene of a shooting at a Fourth of July parade on July 5, 2022 in Highland Park, Illinois. Jim Vondruska/Getty Images

The Fourth of July parade was an annual tradition for the Dickman siblings, who have lived in Highland Park their entire lives. 

The three teens, ages 14 to 19, decided to skip Monday's parade at the last minute. Their usual spot along the parade route was just one block away from where gunfire, initially mistaken for fireworks, sent parade-goers scrambling at about 10:14 a.m. Seven people were killed and dozens more were injured. 

"I'm still in shock that something like this happened. I just can't imagine how people felt who were here during that yesterday," 15-year-old Justin Dickman told Insider. "I don't know if there's ever going to be a parade in Highland Park again."

The Dickman siblings flipped through pictures of them as young children attending the parade, standing in the spot where people were running for their lives from gunshots the day before. 

"We pulled up pictures of us when we were little at every parade, and it's just astonishing looking back knowing that someone decided to shoot the parade, that there's hundreds of little kids just riding their bikes," Isabella Dickman, 19, told Insider. "There's the pep parade before, and people are just happy celebrating, and then it turns into a mass shooting."

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2022-07-05T19:29:55Z

Death toll rises to 7 in mass shooting, police say

A seventh person has died from injuries suffered in Monday's mass shooting, Christopher Covelli, deputy chief for Lake County Sheriff's Office, told Insider.

A spokesperson for NorthShore University Health System told The New York Times that nine people remain hospitalized, including an 8-year-old boy. Twenty-eight people have been discharged after receiving treatment.

'Marvelous Ms. Maisel' star Rachel Brosnahan says 'enough is enough is enough' after Highland Park shooting in her hometown

Rachel Brosnahan
Rachel Brosnahan attends "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" FYC Screening at Steiner Studios on June 02, 2022 in New York City. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Rachel Brosnahan, a Highland Park native, had a simple message after a gunman opened fire on a Fourth of July parade in her hometown, killing six and injuring 31 others.

"Enough is enough is enough is enough is enough is enough is enough is enough is enough," the "Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" star tweeted, sharing a link to donate to gun control efforts.

Brosnahan said she grew up in Highland Park and that she gets "sick to my stomach every time news like this comes out."

"But I don't wish the pit in your stomach as you call your family and friends to make sure everyone is okay on anyone," the star added. 

She added that the parade is a "highlight of the year for so many families." 

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2022-07-05T21:26:21Z

Several weeks before the Highland Park July 4 mass shooting, antisemitic flyers were found 'littered' throughout community, officials said

A child's stroller with a stars and stripes balloon attached is left after gunfire erupted at a Fourth of July parade route in the wealthy Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. July 4, 2022 in a still image from video. ABC affiliate WLS/ABC7 via REUTERS
A child's stroller with a stars-and-stripes balloon attached is left after gunfire erupted at a Fourth of July parade route in Highland Park. ABC affiliate WLS/ABC7 via REUTERS

Several weeks before the July 4 mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, residents of the city reported seeing flyers containing antisemitic hate speech.

In late April, police responded to reports of antisemitic flyers in Highland Park and other local communities, NBC 5 reported.

The city's mayor, Nancy Rotering, said in a statement that "several residents reported the littering of east Highland Park with repugnant anti-Semitic hate speech, on Yom Ha'Shoah (Day of Holocaust Remembrance) of all days."

According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Highland Park is numbered among suburbs 25 miles outside of Chicago where at least a third of the 30,000 residents are Jewish. 

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2022-07-05T18:43:07Z

Authorities say Highland Park shooting suspect posted violent music videos depicting mass shootings

Backs of FBI agents next to US flag
HIGHLAND PARK, IL - JULY 05: FBI agents work the scene of a shooting at a Fourth of July parade on July 5, 2022 in Highland Park, Illinois. Police have detained Robert “Bobby” E. Crimo III, 22, in connection with the shooting in which six people were killed and 19 injured, according to published reports. Jim Vondruska/Getty Images

A clearer picture is emerging of the suspect in the July 4th shooting.

Robert "Bobby" E. Crimo III was arrested Monday night after an eight-hour manhunt. According to authorities, Crimo was in possession of two rifles and multiple other guns, all of which were legally obtained.

The mayor of of Highland Park, Nancy Rotering, told NBC's Today that the suspect had posted music videos under an alias that included footage of mass shootings.

"We know that several postings really reflected a plan and a desire to commit carnage for a long time in advance," Rotering said.

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2022-07-05T17:08:14Z

Highland Park shooting suspect disguised himself in women's clothes to hide his identity, police say

Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said during a press briefing on Tuesday that the shooting suspect wore women's clothing during the massacre.

"Investigators do believe he did this to conceal his facial tattoos and his identity and help him during the escape with the other people who were fleeing the chaos," Covelli said.

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2022-07-05T16:15:12Z

Highland Park woman says someone should have caught shooting suspect's red flags

"That young man, troubled for sure, someone knew about him," Susanne Evans, a 72-year-old who lives blocks from where the shooting happened, told Insider of the shooting suspect. "His parents, his teachers, if he had any friends."

Evans did not go into detail about possible red flags. NBC News previously reported that the suspect posted violent images on a Discord server and that a now-suspended YouTube account belonging to the suspect featured a cartoon video of a man holding a long gun and being shot by police.

"All you had to do was google him and see all the stuff he did," Evans told Insider. "If I could find it, other people knew. And nobody had an alarm. He was a ticking time bomb, and people died here because nobody did anything."

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2022-07-05T16:11:01Z

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas once opposed Highland Park's assault weapon ban

Justice Clarence Thomas
Justice Clarence Thomas in his dissenting opinion to Supreme Court decision on Thursday repeated a misleading claim about COVID-19 vaccines. Erin Schaff/Associated Press

Highland Park, Illinois, banned assault rifles in 2013, but the decision was swiftly challenged.

The case was eventually brought to the Supreme Court, which ultimately rejected to hear it.

Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, opposed the ban and wrote in a dissent that the "overwhelming majority" who use such weapons use them lawfully. 

"The ordinance criminalizes modern sporting rifles (e.g., AR-style semi automatic rifles), which many Americans own for lawful purposes like self-defense, hunting, and target shooting," the dissent read. 

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2022-07-05T15:04:32Z

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the Founding Fathers would not approve of today's gun laws

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker attends a news conference at Highland Park Fire Department station 33., after a mass shooting at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade in downtown Highland Park, a Chicago suburb on Monday, July 4, 2022. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

"Our Founders carried muskets, not assault weapons," Pritzker said Monday afternoon. "And I don't think a single one of them would have said that you have a constitutional right to an assault weapon with a high capacity magazine, or that that is more important than the right of the people who attended this parade today to live."

Pritzker also called gun violence in the US a "uniquely American plague." 

"A day dedicated to freedom has put into stark relief the one freedom we as a nation refuse to uphold — the freedom of our fellow citizens to live without the daily fear of gun violence," Pritzker said. 

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2022-07-05T14:38:50Z

The Highland Park parade shooting was one of 314 mass shootings in the US this year

According to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit that tracks shootings in the US, there have been 314 mass shootings in 2022 so far.

The Highland Park mass shooting comes after a deadly June, during which were were 13 mass shootings in the first weekend alone.

According to the Gun Violence Archive's tracker, at least 22,000 people have been killed by gun violence this year so far.

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2022-07-05T14:04:40Z

Highland Park's mayor says the shooting suspect legally obtained the gun used in the massacre

A stretcher is seen after a mass shooting at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade in downtown Highland Park, Ill.
A stretcher is seen after a mass shooting at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade in downtown Highland Park, Ill. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering said during an interview on NBC's "Today" show that the gun was legally obtained and slammed the US for its "gun culture."

She said she didn't know where the gun came from but said, "I do know it was legally obtained."

"I think at some point this nation needs to have a conversation about these weekly events involving the murder of dozens of people with legally obtained guns," the Democratic mayor added. "If that's what our laws stand for, then I think we need to reexamine the laws."

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2022-07-05T13:59:33Z

Shooting witnesses initially thought gunshots were fireworks or planned parts of the parade

One witness, Steve Tilken, told CNN that he thought someone was setting off fireworks until his wife's 13-year-old granddaughter "hit the ground, sobbing."

"My wife just stood there — was standing for like a second or two — and then she realized what was going and so she dove down to protect their bodies with her body and I stood for another like couple of seconds in disbelief because I didn't see the carnage that was happening aback of me. And I threw my body on top of theirs," he said.

Another witness, Alexander Sandoval, told CNN he thought the gunfire was part of a Navy performance.

"I thought that it was the Navy that was saluting the flag with rifles, but then when I saw people running, I picked up my son and started running," Sandoval said.

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2022-07-05T12:11:40Z

Man arrested in Highland Park massacre posted depiction of a mass shooting, imagery of parade site

Screenshot from Chicago's WGN-TV showing person of interest in Highland Park, Illinois, shooting, being taken into custody.
WGN-TV

The man arrested after the mass shooting at a July 4 parade in Highland Park, Illinois, had a history of posting violent imagery online, including a depiction of mass killing.

The man arrested has a history of posting violent-themed content. He apparently went by a rap alias, according to an IMDB profile, and posted a series of videos with menacing themes. 

The Associated Press said that he had a YouTube profile, where he had posted videos depicting acts of violence.

One video reviewed by Insider showed cartoon-style drawings of a mass shooting that seemed to take place in a school or similar setting. "It is my destiny," says the video's narrator. The YouTube page hosting the videos had been taken down by Tuesday morning, as had the man's Twitter account.

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2022-07-05T10:53:30Z

Father describes hiding his son in a dumpster to protect him from the shooting

A police officer holds up police tape at the scene of a mass shooting at the Fourth of July parade in downtown Highland Park, a Chicago suburb, on Monday, July 4, 2022.
A police officer holds up police tape at the scene of a mass shooting at the Fourth of July parade in downtown Highland Park on July 4, 2022. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

A father who fled the mass shooting in Highland Park, described using a garbage dumpster as shelter for his family.

Alexander Sandoval, 39, told The New York Times that he was at the parade with his six-year-old son, as well as his partner, her five-year-old daughter, and their dog.

Sandoval at first thought gunfire sounds was part of the celebration: "I thought it was the Navy saluting the flag."

He told the Times that he became separated from his partner and her daughter, and that he tried to break into a store for shelter with his son, but was not successful.

"So I kept running and ran into an alley and put my son in a garbage dumpster so he could be safe," he said to the Chicago Sun-Times.

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What we know so far about the victims of the Highland Park parade shooting

A tricycle is seen near the scene of a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade route, in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, July 4, 2022
A tricycle is seen near the scene of a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade route in Highland Park on July 4, 2022. REUTERS/Max Herman

Of the six fatalities, five were adults who were pronounced dead on the scene while the sixth victim, age unknown, died in the hospital after being transported from the scene, authorities said.

And those injured ranged from eight to 85 years old, hospital officials said.

One of the deceased was Nicolas Toledo. He was 78, his son Alejo Toledo told the New York Post.

His granddaughter told the Chicago Sun Times that before he was shot "He was so happy. Happy to be living in the moment."

Jacki Sundheim, a local synagogue worker, was also killed, her synagogue said.

The North Shore Congregation Israel said she was a "beloved" member of its staff.

"There are no words sufficient to express the depth of our grief for Jacki's death and sympathy for her family and loved ones," it said.

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2022-07-05T06:39:54Z

A Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate in Illinois apologized for asking people to 'move on' hours after the shooting

An image of Donald Trump (R) and Illinois gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey
Illinois gubernatorial hopeful Darren Bailey received former President Donald Trump's endorsement in June. Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images

A Trump-backed gubernatorial candidate in Illinois has apologized for telling people to "move on" just hours after Monday's mass shooting in Chicago's Highland Park suburb.

In a Facebook live stream at 11.45 a.m., less than two hours after the incident, Illinois State Senator Darren Bailey was seen with a group of people in Skokie village, located just outside of Chicago. During the stream, he said that Skokie's 4th of July parade was canceled because of the shooting, which has left six dead and dozen injured.

"Friends, let's pray for the law enforcement and even the organizers of this parade," Bailey was heard saying. "The shooter is still at large. So let's pray for justice to prevail, and then let's move on and let's celebrate the independence of this nation."

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2022-07-05T05:05:13Z

Uncle of Highland Park shooting suspect said he saw 'no signs of trouble' in his nephew

Police deploy after gunfire erupted at a Fourth of July parade route in the wealthy Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. July 4, 2022
Police were deployed after gunfire erupted along a Fourth of July parade route in Chicago's Highland Park suburb. REUTERS/Max Herman

The uncle of the suspect in Monday's mass shooting at Chicago's Highland Park said he saw no warning signs in his nephew's behavior prior to the incident.

Paul Crimo spoke to Fox 32 Chicago on Monday about his nephew, 21-year-old Robert Crimo, who was arrested over the incident that left at least six people dead and dozens injured.

Crimo told the outlet that his nephew lived with him in the same house but in separate quarters and that the two barely interacted. 

When asked if he had spotted any red flags in his nephew's behavior, Crimo said he saw none.

"There's been no warning signs," he told the outlet. "I saw him yesterday evening and when I went home, I said, 'Hi' to him. And then when I came back downstairs, I said, 'Bye,' he said, 'Bye.' And that was it." 

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2022-07-05T04:10:13Z

A doctor who was at the scene of the Highland Park mass shooting said he saw 'the kind of injuries you'd probably see in wartime'

First responders take away victims from the scene of a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade on July 4, 2022 in Highland Park, Illinois.
At least six people were killed and dozens injured in a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois. Jim Vondruska/Getty Images

A doctor who was in the thick of the chaos during the Highland Park parade mass shooting on Monday said he saw people with "horrific injuries" at the scene.

Dr. David Baum told NBC Chicago that he was about 100 yards away from where people were shot and killed during the Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb.

Baum described hearing the "pow, pow" of a "Howitzer-type" weapon and that people began screaming and scattering moments after.

"You saw blood everywhere. You saw bodies down. You saw people screaming, you saw massive amounts of blood in the people who were gone," Baum told NBC. "There were a lot of bodies. Who was expecting to need 15 ambulances on the scene of our Highland Park parade?" 

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2022-07-04T23:48:50Z

Police: Person of interest has been arrested

Reader submitted photo of Robert E. Crimo under arrest
ChiTownCheese via Twitter

Police say they have arrested the person of interest, Robert E. Crimo III, at roughly 6:30 p.m. local time after a two-hour manhunt in the northern Chicago area.

Investigators said they processed a significant amount of digital evidence to identify Crimo as a target of investigation.

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2022-07-04T22:15:00Z

Police identify Robert E. Crimo III as a person of interest in connection with the shooting

Police told media they are looking for a 22-year-old area resident named Robert "Bobby" E. Crimo III as a person of interest in connection with the parade shooting.

Crimo is believed to be armed and dangerous and driving a silver Honda Fit.

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2022-07-04T23:15:00Z

Biden: "shocked by the senseless gun violence that has yet again brought grief to an American community"

Joe Biden
President Joe Biden speaks during a Fourth of July celebration for military families on the South Lawn of the White House on July 4, 2022. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

"Jill and I are shocked by the senseless gun violence that has yet again brought grief to an American community on this Independence Day," President Joe Biden said in a statement.

The President also expressed thanks to first responders and police officers on the scene, and said federal law enforcement would aid in the search for the shooter.

"I'm not going to give up fighting the epidemic of gun violence," Biden added.

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Highland Park is an affluent city that served as the backdrop of iconic 80s films

Highland Park
Seats used by parade watchers are left abandoned at the scene after a mass shooting at a parade on July 4, 2022, in Highland Park, Illinois. Jim Vondruska/Getty Images

Highland Park has a median household income of $147,067, just over double the state's median household income of $68,428.

The city has served as the backdrop to multiple iconic films, many of them hits from the 1980s.

Director John Hughes, who helmed "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1983), "Weird Science" (1985), and "Sixteen Candles" (1984), was known to favor the North Shore of Illinois as a setting for some of his films.

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Officials say they recovered a 'high-powered rifle' from the scene of the shooting

Police deploy after gunfire erupted at a Fourth of July parade route in the wealthy Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. July 4, 2022
Police deploy after gunfire erupted at a Fourth of July parade route in the wealthy Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, July 4, 2022 REUTERS/Max Herman

Officials recovered a "high-powered rifle" from the scene where a gunman opened fire — killing six people and sending another 24 to the hospital — at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, on Monday, authorities said at a press conference.

Chris O'Neill, the Highland Park Police commander, said, "firearm evidence was located on a rooftop of a nearby business," where multiple witnesses told local news broadcaster WGN they saw the gunman start shooting three-quarters of the way through the parade at about 10:14 a.m. local time.

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2022-07-04T21:37:00Z

A Klezmer band was playing a 'joyous' Jewish wedding song when gunfire erupted at parade.

The Maxwell Street Klezmer Band was playing a joyful Jewish wedding song, and parade-goers should have been dancing. Instead they were running, and the band had no idea why. 

The band played on, not realizing that gunfire had erupted just around the corner from them in Highland Park, Illinois, killing six people and injuring at least 31.

"It was surreal," Howard Prager, the band's tuba player, told Insider.

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2022-07-04T20:15:35Z

Cops say they ran to gunfire during shooting, but the gunman had stopped firing

police officer runs across street in front of police car in highland park illinois
A police officer runs across a street after a mass shooting erupted at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, July 4, 2022 in a still image from video. ABC affiliate WLS/ABC7 via Reuters

Illinois police said cops ran toward the sound of gunfire after a shooter opened fire at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, but by the time they arrived, the shooting had stopped.

Police officials said the gunman in the deadly shooting fired on the crowd from a nearby rooftop. The shooter remained at large as of Monday afternoon.

"All indications was he was discrete and he was very difficult to see," said Lake County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Chris Covelli.

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2022-07-04T20:07:41Z

17-year-old says he and his family 'ran for our lives' when shots rang out at the Highland Park parade

A child's stroller with a stars and stripes balloon attached is left after gunfire erupted at a Fourth of July parade route in the wealthy Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. July 4, 2022 in a still image from video. ABC affiliate WLS/ABC7 via REUTERS
A child's stroller with a stars-and-stripes balloon attached is left after gunfire erupted at a Fourth of July parade route in Highland Park. ABC affiliate WLS/ABC7 via REUTERS

A teenager who was feet away from the parade when shots rang out in Highland Park on Monday morning said he and his family "ran for our lives."

The 17-year-old — who asked to be identified as Anand P. — said on Twitter that he retreated to a parking garage.

Later, he returned with his mother to help.

"Everyone was very strong," he said, adding that "We are recovering slowly but we are fine."

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2022-07-04T20:00:20Z

Spectators were 'targeted' in the deadly Highland Park Fourth of July parade shooting, authorities say

Shooting July Fourth Parade
A gunman opened fire onto a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois Monday. Nam Y. Huh/AP

Authorities say the gunman in the deadly Highland Park parade shooting "targeted" spectators.

Christopher Covelli, spokesperson for the Lake County Major Town Task Force didn't disclose a motive for the shooting but said it "appears to be completely random."

"We don't know what his intentions are at this point," Covelli told reporters.

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2022-07-04T18:41:04Z

Shooter opened fire from a nearby rooftop, police say

Police search an area after gunfire erupted at a Fourth of July parade route in the wealthy Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. July 4, 2022 in a still image from video.
Police search an area after gunfire erupted at a Fourth of July parade route in Highland Park, Illinois. ABC affiliate WLS/ABC7 via REUTERS

The shooter opened fire on an Illinois Fourth of July parade from a nearby rooftop, police said.

"It does appear that he was shooting from a roof. The roof that he was shooting from — I don't have that information right now," Chris Covelli, the public information officer for the Lake County Sheriff's Office, told reporters.

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2022-07-04T18:30:30Z

Highland Park gunman still at large: police

Police deploy after gunfire erupted at a Fourth of July parade route in the wealthy Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. July 4, 2022 in a still image from video. ABC affiliate WLS/ABC7
Police deploy after gunfire erupted at a Fourth of July parade route in Highland Park, Illinois. ABC affiliate WLS/ABC7 via REUTERS

The gunman who opened fire at the Highland Park July 4th parade is still at large.

"We would still consider him to be armed and dangerous," Lake County Sherrif's Office spokesperson Chris Covelli said.

Police described the shooting suspect as a white man between 18 and 20 years old, with long dark hair, a small build, and wearing a white or blue t-shirt.

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2022-07-04T18:16:45Z

6 people killed, 24 injured in mass shooting at Highland Park parade: cops

Police said 6 people were killed and another 24 injured in the mass shooting during the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois.

The gunman remains at large, authorities said.

2022-07-04T18:02:32Z

Videos show chaos as gunfire breaks out

Tiktok video shows people running after shots rang out at a Highland Park Fourth of July parade.
Tiktok video shows people running after shots rang out at a Highland Park Fourth of July parade. Tiktok/@leonarcos11

Videos shared on social media show confusion and chaos as the gunfire broke out at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade.

In a video shared on TikTok and later removed, children in a marching band sprint down the street.

Authorities said 6 people were killed in the mass shooting.

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