Robert (Bobby) E. Crimo III appears in an image released by the City of Highland Park, Illinois.
In yet another American mass shooting, a person opened fire during a parade in Highland Park, Illinois on the Fourth of July.
Police say six people died and 24 people were wounded, according to official tweets from the local sheriff’s office and The Associated Press.
Early Monday evening, the Highland Park Police Department identified 22-year-old Robert “Bobby” E. Crimo III as a “person of interest” in the attack.
Authorities later announced that he is in custody.
Robert (Bobby) E. Crimo III’s car. (Image via the FBI.)
Crimo was believed to be driving a 2010 Silver Honda Fit bearing Illinois license plate DM 80653, authorities said during the search.
Images of the vehicle promulgated by the FBI show conspicuous damage to the rear of the vehicle. The FBI said Crimo should be considered “armed and dangerous.”
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office tweeted earlier in the day that officers from multiple agencies were searching for a white male between 18 and 20 years old. He was described initially as having “long black hair” and a “small build.” He was “wearing a white or blue tee shirt,” the sheriff’s office wrote.
The suspect left behind a “high-powered rifle,” officers said.
The incident reportedly happened minutes after the festivities started at 10 a.m. on Monday. Witnesses claimed to see the gunman, describing him as being on the roof of Uncle Dan’s Camping and Travel at 621 Central Avenue, according to The Lake & McHenry County Scanner, writing before Crimo was identified as a “person of interest.” That outlet described the shooting as happening near Second Street and Central Avenue.
(Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images.)
A Chicago Sun-Times reporter witnessed “blankets covering three bloodied bodies and five other people wounded and bloodied near the parade’s reviewing stand.”
“I heard 20 to 25 shots, which were in rapid succession,” witness Miles Zaremski told the newspaper. “So it couldn’t have been just a handgun or a shotgun.”
He said he saw “people in that area that got shot,” including a woman who died.
“Everybody disperse, please,” police said. “It is not safe to be here.”
Video circulating online shows people running from the sound of gunfire during the parade.
“Highland Park Police are responding to an incident in downtown Highland Park,” Mayor Nancy Rotering wrote in a tweet. “Fourth Fest has been canceled. Please avoid downtown Highland Park. More information will be shared as it becomes available.”
First responders work the scene of a shooting at a Fourth of July parade on July 4, 2022 in Highland Park, Illinois. (Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images.)
“My staff and I are closely monitoring the situation in Highland Park,” Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker said. “State police are on the scene and we have made all state resources available to the community. We will continue working with local officials to help those affected.”
(Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images.)
“The Illinois State Police is currently assisting Highland Park PD with an active shoot situation that occurred at the Highland Park Parade,” the Illinois State Police wrote in a tweet. “The public is advised to avoid the area of Central Ave and 2nd St. in Highland Park.”
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office told people to stay from the shooting area.
The nearby village of Deerfield to the west and a number of area municipalities canceled other Fourth of July activites.
We’ve updated the article to include the name of the person of interest since its original publication. Authorities later announced that he is now in custody.
[Screenshot via @Ri_Kayyy on Twitter]