Robert E. “Bobby” Crimo III is set to be arraigned in Lake County Circuit Court Wednesday after a grand jury indicted him on 117 felony counts for the July 4 mass shooting in Highland Park that killed seven people and wounded dozens of others.
During the hearing, Crimo, 21, will be informed that under Illinois law he will face a sentence of natural life in prison if he is convicted of murder in the deaths of more than one person. The indictments say authorities will also seek sentence enhancements for crimes committed with a firearm.
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Authorities allege Crimo, who grew up in Highland Park, climbed onto a store building and fired more than 80 rounds from an assault-style rifle into the crowd along the city’s Independence Day parade route before escaping in the ensuing chaos.
Police said Crimo disguised himself as a woman and dropped the rifle before escaping.
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He was arrested later that day after a police officer spotted him driving in North Chicago. Police have said that following the Highland Park shooting, Crimo drove to the vicinity of Madison, Wisconsin, where he allegedly contemplated attacking another gathering.
Meanwhile, officials in Highland Park, which bans the possession of assault-style rifles and large-capacity magazines within city limits, are pressing for a similar prohibition at the state level. Numerous legislators are co-sponsoring a bill to that effect and Gov. J.B. Pritzker has endorsed the concept.
Last week, Democratic House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch announced the formation of a working group devoted to firearm safety and reform, saying he wanted “to take a balanced and research-driven approach to meaningfully reform our laws in Illinois.”
Twitter @JohnKeilman
