The father of an Illinois man charged with killing seven folks in a mass capturing at a July 4 parade in a Chicago suburb has been charged with seven felony counts of reckless conduct, prosecutors introduced Friday.
Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart mentioned Robert Crimo Jr. surrendered to police on Friday and may have a bond listening to Saturday. Rinehart mentioned the costs are based mostly on Crimo sponsoring his then 19-year-old son’s utility for a gun license.
“Parents and guardians are in the best position to decide whether their teenagers should have a weapon,” Rinehart mentioned. “In this case, the system failed when Robert Crimo Jr. sponsored his son. He knew what he knew and he signed the form anyway.”
Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service by way of Getty Images
A grand jury in July indicted Robert “Bobby” Crimo III on 21 first-degree homicide counts, 48 counts of tried homicide and 48 counts of aggravated battery, representing the seven folks killed and dozens wounded within the assault on a beloved vacation occasion in Highland Park.
Until Friday, Rinehart had refused to debate whether or not the person’s dad and mom may face expenses linked to the killings. Illinois authorities have beforehand mentioned Bob Crimo sponsored his son’s utility for a gun license in 2019.
In Illinois, 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds could solely acquire a Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card with parental sponsorship, CBS Chicago stories.
Police even have mentioned that Bob Crimo instructed authorities that knives discovered within the household’s dwelling belonged to him after one other member of the family reported in September 2019 that the youthful Crimo had threatened to “kill everyone” and had a set of knives.
Legal specialists have mentioned it is uncommon for an accused shooter’s guardian or guardian to face expenses — partly as a result of it is troublesome to show such expenses.
In one notable exception, a Michigan prosecutor final yr filed involuntary manslaughter expenses in opposition to the dad and mom of a teen accused of fatally capturing 4 college students at his highschool. A January trial date in that case has been delayed whereas the state appeals court docket considers an attraction by the dad and mom.
Illinois State Police reported again in July that the suspect handed 4 background checks in 2020 and 2021, and within the course of amassed 5 firearms. The first weapon was bought after his father signed the authorization kind, state police mentioned.
Highland Park Police Chief Lou Jogmen instructed CBS News in a July 6 interview that investigators believed the suspect had deliberate the capturing for a number of weeks.
“There was quite a bit of preplanning that went into it, and he was quite motivated to carry out the attack,” Jogmen mentioned on the time.