Robert Crimo

**Robert Crimo** is an American mass murderer who perpetrated the 2022 Highland Park parade shooting. Crimo opened fire on a crowd of people who had gathered to watch the annual Highland Park Independence Day parade, killing 7 and injuring 48 others. Crimo fled the scene, and an hours-long manhunt resulted in his arrest later that day.

There is no definitive motive for the shooting. The shooting is tied with the Brown's Chicken massacre as the deadliest mass shooting in the state of Illinois, and was the third deadliest to occur in the United States in 2022. The attack led to the passage of the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA) in January 2023.

## Biography

Robert "Bobby" Eugene Crimo III was born on September 20, 2000, to parents Robert Crimo II. and Denise M. Pesina. His father was the owner of two local delis; one was a White Hen Pantry near Ravinia Festival, and the other was Bob's Pantry & Deli, which operated from 2008 to 2018. He was also active in politics, having launched an unsuccessful campaign for mayor of Highland Park in 2019. As a child, Crimo was enrolled in a local Cub Scout troop, where he met the future mayor of Highland Park, Nancy Rotering.

Crimo attended Lincoln Elementary School, and was involved in extracurricular sports programs. A former coach of his noted that Crimo and his siblings "seemed like [...] a nuisance" to their mother. Pesina was always the last to pick her children up from the school, and she would often get into screaming matches with the coaches, her kids, or her husband. The marriage of Crimo's parents was marked by frequent domestic disturbances. Between 2009 and 2014, Highland Park police were dispatched to the Crimo home at least 9 times for domestic incidents. As a result, Crimo Sr. and Pesina eventually filed for divorce.

Classmates of Crimo described him as distant and quiet. He was not particularly attentive and frequently showed up to class late. They also noted he had a fixation on guns and violence. In January 2016, Crimo received an ordinance violation after tobacco was found in his possession. It was his only recorded criminal offense up until the shooting. Crimo dropped out of high school in 2017 before his junior year; it was around this time he began suffering from depression.

In April 2019, police were called to Crimo's home a week after he attempted suicide with a machete. Upon arrival, they were assured he was already being treated by psychiatric professionals. Later that year, on September 5, one of Crimo's siblings called police after Crimo made threats to "kill everyone" (directed toward his family members). The police searched the home and discovered a lunch box containing 16 knives, a dagger, and a "samurai-type" blade, all of which were confiscated. The police received numerous other calls to the home, most of which did not involve Crimo. The home was often unkempt and described as an "eyesore" by neighbors.

Crimo was briefly employed at Panera Bread around 2020. Neighbors noticed he had spray-painted a smiley face with a rifle on the back wall of his father's house, accompanied by the phrase "GOD'S NOT DEAD" (in reference to a film of the same name). The phrase was later removed by his father, though the gun-toting figure remained. At the time of the shooting, Crimo was living in an apartment attached to his father's home at 115 Pleasant Avenue in Highwood.

### Online activities

Crimo was active on multiple online forums, such as the shock site documentingreality.com. Crimo, who went by the username Awake47, was known by other forum members for his disturbing obsession with a childlike sex doll, which he often photographed himself with. Crimo frequently posted racist remarks on the site, though it is unknown if these were genuine.

In 2017 and 2018, Crimo attempted to have a Wikipedia page about himself and his rap career created. The draft he wrote was declined by administrators, as they did not deem his career to be notable or significant. In February 2021, Crimo self-published a 28-page novella on Amazon titled "Arcturus". The text of the book is entirely encoded with numbers, and has not been decoded. Immediately after the shooting, Arcturus was removed from Amazon.

### Awake

Around the age of 11, Crimo launched his rap career under the stage name "Awake The Rapper". He made numerous songs, occasionally collaborating with other small rappers and posting his songs to SoundCloud. In order to gain traction, Crimo placed posters advertising his songs in Highland Park. He scheduled at least one concert for this musical project, on his 19th birthday, but it is unknown if this concert actually took place. He created music videos for some of his songs, which he posted to YouTube. The videos often included scenes of violence; one of the videos depicted a man carrying out a mass shooting. The channel was terminated after the shooting and was reviewed by investigators.

## Lead-up to shooting

Between June 2020 and September 2021, Crimo began collecting an arsenal of guns, all of which he purchased legally. They included a Kel-Tec SUB-2000 and a Smith & Wesson M&P semi-automatic rifle, the latter of which was used in the shooting. As Crimo was under 21 at the time, the sales had to be sponsored by his father.

Crimo found online tutorials for constructing bombs, and built numerous explosives in the years before the attack. A month prior to the shooting, he purchased ten pounds of Tannerite. He began building a bomb using two jugs and a remote detonation device, but ultimately, it was not used in the attack.

In April 2022, Crimo visited the Central Avenue Synagogue in Highland Park, dressed in all black and wearing a backpack. Suspicious of his attire, security searched his backpack, but found nothing of note. Crimo left the synagogue about 45 minutes after entering.

The night before the shooting, on July 3, Crimo's father stated he had a routine conversation with his son, who he noticed seemed to be in a good mood. He later said he had "not an inkling" that his son was about to carry out the attack.

## Highland Park parade shooting

> `Further reading: Highland Park parade shooting [Wikipedia]`
>
>

On July 4, 2022, the city of Highland Park prepared for its annual Independence Day celebrations. Crimo dressed in women's clothing and covered his tattoos in an attempt to disguise himself. Despite this, a number of people still recognized him. He did not bring the explosives with him, as in his own words, "If everything lined up correctly then I would use it, but it didn't". Crimo used a fire escape ladder to climb on top of a downtown building. He then positioned himself atop the roof of Ross Cosmetics with his rifle and aimed at paradegoers. The parade commenced at 10 AM outside the Highland Park Public Library. At 10:14, by which point the procession was moving southwest on Central Avenue, Crimo began firing into the crowd.

Some people initially misinterpreted the shots as firecrackers or gun salutes. Spectators began to flee; many hid inside downtown businesses while others hid behind trees and decorations on the street. Crimo fired 60 rounds, emptying two magazines. He reloaded and fired an additional 23 rounds before stopping. 32 people were hit by gunfire. Five people died immediately, while two others died at the hospital. 48 others were injured by bullets, bullet fragments, or shrapnel.

Crimo noticed police officers advancing on his building, and he descended from the rooftop, blending in with the fleeing crowd. While escaping, Crimo's rifle fell out of his backpack. He did not retrieve the weapon and instead continued running.

### Victims

> `Main article: Highland Park parade shooting victims`
>
>

Six people died on the day of the shooting. A seventh victim died the following day. Two of the victims, Irina and Kevin McCarthy, were a married couple. Stephen Straus was the oldest victim of the attack, at 88 years old. The ages of the victims, dead and injured, ranged from 8 to 88.

* **Katherine Goldstein**, 64
* **Irina McCarthy**, 35
* **Kevin McCarthy**, 37
* **Stephen Straus**, 88
* **Jacquelyn Sundheim**, 63
* **Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza**, 78
* **Eduardo Uvaldo**, 69

### Immediate aftermath

Crimo fled to his mother's home on nearby McDaniels Avenue to retrieve the Kel-Tec SUB-2000 and left a short while later in his Honda Fit. He drove northwest to Madison, Wisconsin. In order to prevent being tracked, Crimo disposed of his phone in Middleton, Wisconsin, where it was later discovered by police. After reaching Madison, he witnessed another Independence Day procession, and contemplated committing another shooting. He ultimately decided against this, as he "didn't do enough research on the event", and drove back toward Highland Park.

An 8-hour-long manhunt for the shooter ensued. Witnesses described the suspect as a "young White man with long dark hair". Investigators compiled surveillance camera footage, and identified a suspect–Crimo. Additionally, the rifle was recovered at the scene, and was traced to Crimo.

At around 6 PM, a witness spotted Crimo's vehicle in Lake County, Illinois, and subsequently called police. At 6:25, Crimo was arrested by five officers at the intersection of Westleigh Road and Route 41 in Lake Forest. Police searched Crimo's home, where they discovered numerous other firearms. During an interrogation, Crimo admitted to carrying out the shooting, and described his actions during the attack.

## Legal proceedings

On July 5, Crimo was formally charged with seven counts of first-degree murder. Crimo stated he did not have a lawyer, and was assigned public defenders Gregory Ticsay and Anton Trizna.

On July 27, a grand jury indicted Crimo on 117 felony charges, including 48 counts of attempted murder, 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, and 21 counts of murder (three for each victim killed). Numerous civil lawsuits were leveled against Crimo and the manufacturers of the guns used in the attack. He pleaded not guilty to all 117 charges on August 3. On New Year's Eve 2022, while still awaiting trial, Crimo made a prank call to a reporter at the New York Post. The reporter had previously attempted to schedule an interview with Crimo in jail.

Much of the investigation focused on the fact that Crimo's father had helped supply his son with the weapons used in the attack. He turned himself in on December 16, 2022, and was charged with seven counts of reckless conduct. He was indicted by a grand jury on the aforementioned charges on February 15, 2023, and was arraigned the next day. On November 6, 2023, in a deal with prosecutors, Crimo pleaded guilty on the seven counts and was sentenced to 60 days in jail, 100 hours of community service, and 2 years of probation. He began this sentence on November 15.

## Motive

In an interrogation, Crimo stated he had carried out the shooting because he wanted to "wake people up". At a press conference the day after the shooting, investigators noticed Crimo appeared to have a fixation with the numbers 7 and 4. The number 47 was tattooed on his temple and was present in his online alias, Awake47. A "47" sticker also appeared on the driver-side door of his car. It is possible that Crimo used these numbers to foreshadow his later attack, which occurred on July 4 (7/4).

Researchers have noted that Crimo falls within a category of mass shooters that lack a political or personal motive, but rather are motivated by glorifications of violence.

> `"[Crimo] doesn't fit into an individual ideology, because ideology is irrelevant in this case. The thing that starts to tie this type of violent actor to other types of violent actors is not ideological, it is aesthetic. [...] There have been so many mass shootings now that it is a performance art. There is a particular way you do it. There's a particular way you look."`
> `- Emmi Conley, researcher of extremism`
>
>

According to a Chicago-area activist, Crimo and several others would frequently harass and dox leaders of left-wing protests. Crimo's online postings, presence at a Trump rally, and appearance at the Central Avenue Synagogue have furthered the belief that he had a political motive, though this is disputed by those who personally knew him.

## Reactions

Vice president Kamala Harris visited Highland Park on July 5 and delivered a speech wherein she offered condolences and urged for increased gun control. Illinois governor J. B. Pritzker and senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth also called for gun control legislation. On August 9, 2022, the Lake County Board voted in support of a federal assault weapons ban. Georgia representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has furthered the conspiracy theory that the shooting was a false-flag operation staged by Democrats in order to push for increased gun control legislation.

Illinois authorities faced harsh criticism for the fact that Crimo's Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card had not been revoked prior to the shooting despite the numerous calls to his home.

Some of the online discussion regarding Crimo mistakenly or maliciously asserted that Crimo was transgender. This likely stemmed from the fact that Crimo had worn women's clothing during the shooting.

A "Highland Park strong" movement circulated throughout the city, with many residents posting signs in their front yards. A temporary memorial to the victims was erected next to the Highland Park city hall in November 2022. On April 4, 2023, students at Highland Park High School staged a walkout in response to both the Independence Day attack as well as the recent Covenant School shooting. The walkout was cancelled and the school was placed on lockdown after a rumor circulated about a student with a gun. The student, along with four others, were arrested.

### Legislation

`Further reading: Gun laws in Illinois [Wikipedia]`

For several years, a bill to ban the sale of assault-style weapons in Illinois had been proposed and gained renewed interest in the aftermath of the Highland Park parade shooting. One of its lead sponsors, representative Bob Morgan, was present at the Independence Day parade during the attack. In January 2023, the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA) was signed into law by governor J. B. Pritzker. Immediately, the law faced numerous challenges and lawsuits, and sheriffs in over 60 counties stated publicly that they would refuse to enforce the ban.

There were also renewed calls to allow police to use surveillance drones at large public gatherings. In June 2023, Pritzker signed a bill permitting the usage of said drones. The next month, these drones were used to monitor a one-year anniversary memorial service for the shooting in Highland Park.

## Citations

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland\_Park\_parade\_shooting
2. ↑ https://www.the-sun.com/news/5709084/who-are-robert-crimos-parents/
3. ↑ https://www.wlfi.com/news/national/highland-park-gunmans-family-was-in-turmoil-for-years-leading-up-to-parade-shooting/article\_07cc5d9d-b36e-52a9-8b03-6d374970287f.html
4. ↑ https://my.lwv.org/sites/default/files/voters\_guide\_spring2019final.pdf [page 3]
5. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/robert-crimo-iii-highland-park-shooting-who-is/
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 https://www.foxnews.com/us/highland-park-shooting-suspects-parents-problem-says-former-coach
7. ↑ https://cms6.revize.com/revize/highlandparkil/government/city\_departments/city\_manager\_s\_office/city\_clerk/docs/1566%20McDaniels%20Police%20Reports.pdf
8. ↑ https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/former-classmate-of-robert-crimo-describes-suspected-highland-park-gunman
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/05/us/robert-e-crimo-highland-park-suspect/index.html
10. ↑ https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/7/9/23201114/highland-park-parade-mass-shooting-robert-crimo-ethan-absler-denise-pesina-jeremy-cahnmann
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 https://www.bnd.com/news/politics-government/article264625576.html
12. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/masskillers/comments/vruhw9/i\_interacted\_with\_highland\_park\_killer\_robert/
13. ↑ https://nypost.com/2022/07/06/highland-park-parade-shooting-suspect-robert-crimo-posted-pics-of-his-teen-sex-doll/
14. ↑ https://slate.com/technology/2022/07/bobby-crimo-highland-park-wikipedia.html
15. ↑ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fRGJcLIlhWPv3\_MaecNuF6nrPG9E-QsukK1kkfSu7eg/edit?usp=sharing
16. ↑ http://zodiackillerciphers.com/robert%20crimo%20-%20arcturus%20encrypted%20book.pdf
17. ↑ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10487202/bio [unreliable source?]
18. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/masskillers/comments/x6q781/im\_from\_highland\_park\_and\_my\_friend\_found\_this\_on/
19. ↑ https://discover.events.com/us/illinois/lincolnwood/e/music/awake-rapper-live-chicago-9202019-3356-karlov-ave-316154057
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/robert-crimo-iii-bomb-making-materials-highland-park-massacre/
21. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjMIwHlZ3t0
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 https://abc7chicago.com/highland-park-shooter-robert-crimo-suspect-shooting/12022965/
23. ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/06/highland-park-parade-shooting/
24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 24.4 https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-07-08/services-begin-for-highland-park-parade-shooting-victims
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62047223
26. ↑ https://abc7chicago.com/north-chicago-illinois-police-department-highland-park-shooting-robert-crimo/12059563/
27. ↑ https://www.lakemchenryscanner.com/2023/01/31/accused-highland-park-parade-shooter-appears-in-court-for-first-time-since-prank-calling-news-reporter-from-jail/
28. ↑ https://www.lakemchenryscanner.com/2022/07/27/grand-jury-indicts-highland-park-parade-shooting-on-117-charges-for-killing-7-injuring-over-45/
29. ↑ https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/trial-delayed-for-highland-park-parade-shooting-suspect-robert-crimo-iii
30. ↑ https://nypost.com/2023/01/07/highland-park-shooting-suspect-robert-crimo-prank-calls-ny-post/
31. ↑ https://abc7chicago.com/highland-park-shooting-shooter-robert-crimo-jr-parade/12823855/
32. ↑ https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/06/us/robert-crimo-highland-park-shooting/index.html
33. ↑ https://www.npr.org/2022/07/06/1110013040/the-highland-park-suspect-breaks-the-mold-on-violent-extremists
34. ↑ https://twitter.com/RachaelSocial/status/1546041824447430656?s=20&t=ZuFzO87EmmRAp6o7Nz92Ow
35. ↑ https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/05/politics/vice-president-harris-visit-highland-park/index.html
36. ↑ https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/politics/state/2022/07/05/highland-park-shooting-gov-jb-pritzker-sen-tammy-duckworth-react/7810200001/
37. ↑ https://www.lakemchenryscanner.com/2022/08/10/lake-county-board-votes-to-support-statewide-federal-ban-on-assault-rifles/
38. ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/marjorie-taylor-greene-highland-park-shooting-1378503/
39. ↑ https://www.factcheck.org/2022/07/social-media-posts-misrepresent-police-statement-about-fourth-of-july-shooter/
40. ↑ https://abc7chicago.com/highland-park-parade-shooting-memorial-illinois/12441355/
41. ↑ https://patch.com/illinois/highlandpark/student-charged-having-gun-highland-park-high-school
42. ↑ https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20230207/illinois-ban-on-semiautomatic-weapons-spurs-challenges-to-legislative-shortcuts
43. ↑ https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=3902&GAID=17&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=149171&SessionID=112&GA=103
44. ↑ https://www.insider.com/illinois-police-drones-fourth-of-july-parades-mass-shooting-surveillance-2023-7