The suspected shooter who opened fire on a July 4 parade in Highland Park, Illinois, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens more, has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder, officials said Tuesday evening.
Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said that dozens more charges are expected against the suspect, 21-year-old Robert E. Crimo III, in the coming days.
"These are just the first of many charges that will be filed against Mr. Crimo," Rinehart said, adding: “We anticipate dozens of more charges centering around each of the victims. Psychological victims, physical victims, attempt murder charges, aggravated discharge charges, aggravated battery charges. There will be dozens of more charges against Mr. Crimo.”
The seven counts of first-degree murder come with a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole, should Crimo be convicted, Rinehart said. The suspect is expected to appear in court on Wednesday, where the state’s attorney will ask for Crimo to be held without bail.
“We will stand with the survivors of this awful crime for as long as is necessary,” Rinehart said. “In the courtroom, we will seek the maximum sentence against this offender. Not because we seek vengeance, but because justice and the healing process demand it.”
In a fiery address, Rinehart emphasized that Crimo was able to get the weapons used in Monday’s shooting legally, despite Illinois existing red flag laws, and called for his state to “ban assault weapons in Illinois and beyond.”
Authorities have not yet offered a motive for the shooting spree but have said Crimo is speaking with investigators. The 21-year-old fired on an Independence Day parade from a rooftop in suburban Chicago on Monday, spraying the crowd with gunshots initially mistaken for fireworks before hundreds of panicked revelers of all ages fled in terror.
For several hours after the shooting, Crimo blended into the crowd – and was "dressed in women's clothing and investigators do believe he did this to conceal his facial tattoos and his identity and help him during the escape with the other people who are fleeing the chaos," Sgt. Christopher Covelli of the Lake County Major Crime Task Force told reporters on Tuesday.
Covelli said Crimo had in his possession at least two rifles and "potentially pistols," all of which were purchased legally. The suspect shot at least 70 rounds into the unsuspecting crowd before fleeing.
Highland Park Police Chief Lou Jogmen said a police officer pulled over Crimo about 5 miles north of the shooting scene, several hours after police released the man’s photo and warned that he was likely armed and dangerous. Authorities initially said he was 22, but an FBI bulletin and Crimo’s social media said he was 21.
Crimo was ultimately taken into custody after an hours-long manhunt on Monday, during which residents hunkered down in businesses or received police escorts to their homes.
Earlier Tuesday, officials confirmed that seven people died after the attack, including one as-yet-unidentified individual who died at a hospital outside the county. While the identity of the seventh victim has not yet been confirmed, police on Tuesday evening released information on the six confirmed victims, who ranged in age from 35 to 88 years old.
Among them was Nicolas Toledo, who was visiting his family in Illinois from Mexico. He was shot and died at the scene, his granddaughter, Xochil Toledo, told the Chicago Sun-Times. Also killed was Jacki Sundheim, a lifelong congregant and “beloved” staff member at nearby North Shore Congregation Israel, which announced her death on its website.
“It definitely hits a lot harder when it’s not only your hometown but it’s also right in front of you,” resident Ron Tuazon said as he and a friend returned to the parade route Monday evening to retrieve chairs, blankets and a child’s bike that he and his family abandoned when the shooting began.
“It’s commonplace now,” Tuazon said. “We don’t blink anymore. Until laws change, it’s going to be more of the same.”
Police have not released further details about the victims, but Toledo’s granddaughter told the Sun-Times that Toledo had spent most of his life in Morelos, Mexico. Xochil Toledo said she remembers looking over at her grandfather, who was in his late 70s, as a band passed them.
“He was so happy,” she said. “Happy to be living in the moment.”
Xochil Toledo said her father tried to shield her grandfather and was shot in the arm; her boyfriend also was shot in the back and taken by someone to nearby hospital because they weren’t sure there would be enough ambulances for all the victims.
Roberto Velasco, Mexico’s director for North American affairs, said on Twitter that two Mexicans were also wounded.
Sundheim had spent decades on the staff at North Shore Congregation Israel, early on teaching at the congregation’s preschool and later serving as Events and B’nei Mitzvah Coordinator, “all of this with tireless dedication,” the congregation said in its statement announcing her death.
“Jacki’s work, kindness and warmth touched us all,” the statement said.
NorthShore University Health Center received 26 patients after the attack. All but one had gunshot wounds, said Dr. Brigham Temple, medical director of emergency preparedness. Their ages ranged from 8 to 85, and Temple estimated that four or five were children.
Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said at a news conference “several of the deceased victims” died at the scene and one died at a hospital, adding on Tuesday that no children had died during the attack.
Since the start of the year, there have been 15 shootings where four or more people have been killed, including the Highland Park one, according to The Associated Press/USA TODAY/Northeastern University mass killing database.