The suspected gunman in a mass shooting at a July 4th parade in Highland Park, Illinois, that killed seven people and wounded dozens has been charged with seven counts of murder on Tuesday--and more charges are expected to come.
In a media conference, Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart announced that if the 21-year-old suspect Robert E. Crimo III gets convicted, he may face a mandatory life sentence. Though he emphasized that the charges "are just first of many" cases that will be filed" against Crimo, per CNN.
Rinehart said that the other charges that will be slapped against the Highland Park shooting suspect include attempted murder, aggravated discharge, aggravated battery charges, and "dozens of more charges centering around each of the victims."
Since being arrested on Monday night, Crimo has been in police custody.
Identities of Killed Victims Disclosed
On Wednesday morning, at the Lake County courthouse, Rinehart will "ask a judge" to detain Crimo "without the possibility of bail."
Police have identified six of the seven individuals killed in the incident as of Tuesday morning.
During the press briefing, Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek presented the list of names. These are the victims:
- 64-year-old Katherine Goldstein of Highland Park
- 35-year-old Irina McCarthy of Highland Park
- 37-year-old Kevin McCarthy of Highland Park
- 63-year-old Jacquelyn Sundheim of Highland Park
- 88-year-old Stephen Straus of Highland Park
- 78-year-old Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza of Morelos, Mexico
According to Banek, a seventh victim died at a hospital outside of Lake County.
The gun attack resulted in the death or injury of a total of 45 people, said Lake County Major Crime Task Force Spokesperson Christopher Covelli.
A Planned Attack
Covelli disclosed that Crimo made legitimate purchases of rifles, a pistol, and maybe a shotgun between 2020 and 2021. In Illinois, a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card is required to purchase a firearm. According to a news release from the state police, Crimo was under 21, so his father sponsored him.
The Highland Park Shooting Suspect's motive on Monday is still under investigation.
As per a story from The New York Times, the police claimed that Robert Crimo appeared to have been preparing for weeks to strike the parade on Monday morning and that he had used a fire exit to climb to the top of a downtown building before opening fire into the crowd using a powerful rifle.
Then, they stated, he made his getaway by dropping his gun and disguising himself in women's attire to blend in with the crowd. He appeared to be wearing an American flag scarf around his neck in the photo authorities posted, maybe to cover up his obvious neck tattoos.
FBI agents searched picnic blankets and garbage cans at the location where the attacker had fired earlier that day for additional evidence.
According to Politico, the shooting was initially mistaken as fireworks until hundreds of people fled in terror. Witness David Shapiro, 47, claimed that the parade swiftly descended into "chaos" as a result of the firing.
Describing the scene, Shapiro said: "People didn't know right away where the gunfire was coming from, whether the gunman was in front or behind you chasing you."
The shooting was merely the most recent incident to disturb American culture. In recent months, the sites of violence have expanded to include schools, churches, supermarkets, and now community festivals.
The recent carnage took place as the country celebrates its founding and the ties that continue to keep it united.