HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — Authorities have identified Robert (Bobby) E. Crimo III as a person of interest in the mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in a Chicago suburb on Monday.
He was taken into custody on Monday evening after a short chase about five miles away from the shooting scene, according to officials.
The Associated Press reports he has an address in Highland Park, the same suburb in which the shooting took place. Hours after the shooting, more than a dozen officers surrounded that home and a large armored truck was also present. Police blockaded roads leading to the home in a tree-lined neighborhood near a golf course, allowing only select law enforcement cars through a tight outer perimeter.
An FBI wanted poster described his tattoos as including "four tally marks with a line through them on his right cheek, red roses and green leaves on his neck, and cursive script above his left eyebrow." The FBI poster also noted he has ties in Illinois to Rockford, DeKalb and Elgin.
Authorities initially said Crimo was 22 but he's actually 21.
Crimo was believed to be driving a 2010 Silver Honda Fit, and around 6 p.m., authorities said a North Chicago officer spotted the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop.
Officials said Crimo did not stop and instead led officers that chase. He eventually stopped and was taken into custody.
Officials said Crimo is believed to be responsible for the shooting but have stopped short of calling him a "suspect."
"Calling somebody a suspect or a person of interest is really synonymous," Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said. "This individual (Crimo) is believed to have been responsible for what happened and the investigation will continue."
Charges against Crimo have not been approved yet, according to Covelli.
Video below is of police searching Crimo's car after he was taken into custody:
What happened
A gunman on a rooftop opened fire on an Independence Day parade in the suburban Chicago city, killing at least six people, wounding at least 30 and sending hundreds of marchers, parents with strollers and children on bicycles fleeing in terror, police said. The shooter remained on the loose hours later as authorities scoured the area.
The shooting occurred at a spot on the parade route where many residents had staked out prime viewing points early in the day for the annual celebration. Dozens of fired bullets sent hundreds of parade-goers — some visibly bloodied — fleeing.
The shooter opened fire around 10:15 a.m. when the parade was about three-quarters through, authorities said.
Highland Park Police Commander Chris O’Neill, the incident commander on scene, said the gunman apparently used a “high-powered rifle” to fire from a spot atop a commercial building where he was “very difficult to see.” He said the rifle was recovered at the scene. Police also found a ladder attached to the building.
Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were conducting an urgent trace of the rifle, agency spokesperson April Langwell said. Federal agents conduct such traces to identify when, where and to whom the gun was last sold.
Police believe there was only one shooter.
More than 100 law enforcement officers were called to the parade scene or dispatched to find the suspected shooter.
Where is Highland Park?
Highland Park is a close-knit community of about 30,000 people located on the shores of Lake Michigan just north of Chicago, with mansions and sprawling lakeside estates that have long drawn the rich and sometimes famous, including NBA legend Michael Jordan, who lived in the city for years when he played for the Chicago Bulls. John Hughes filmed parts of several movies in the city, including “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Sixteen Candles” and “Weird Science.”
The victims
Covelli said at a news conference that “several of the deceased victims” died at the scene and one was taken to a hospital and died there. Police have not released details about the victims or wounded.
Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek said the five people killed at the parade were adults and she doesn't have information on the sixth victim who was taken to a hospital and died there.
Roberto Velasco, Mexico’s director for North American affairs, said on Twitter Monday that one Mexican national was killed in Highland Park and added that two other Mexicans were wounded.
Dr. Brigham Temple, medical director of emergency preparedness for NorthShore University Health Center, said the Highland Park hospital received 26 patients after the attack and all but one had gunshot wounds. Their ages ranged from 8 to 85, and Temple estimated that four or five patients were children.
He said 19 of them were treated and discharged. Others were transferred to other hospitals, while two patients, in stable condition, remained at the Highland Park hospital.
President's statement
President Joe Biden on Monday said he and first lady Jill Biden were “shocked by the senseless gun violence that has yet again brought grief to an American community on this Independence Day.” He said he had “surged Federal law enforcement to assist in the urgent search for the shooter, who remains at large at this time.”
Celebrations canceled
Several nearby cities canceled events including parades and fireworks, some of them noting that the Highland Park shooter was still at large. Evanston, Deerfield, Skokie, Waukegan and Glencoe canceled events. The Chicago White Sox also announced on Twitter that a planned post-game fireworks show is canceled due to the shooting.