Highland Park shooting suspect 'pre-planned' attack, wore women's clothing to hide identity: police
Authorities investigating the deadly Fourth of July parade shooting in Highland Park, Illinois said Tuesday they believe suspected gunman Robert Crimo III “pre-planned this attack for several weeks.”
Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said it appears Crimo III legally purchased a “high-powered rifle” and brought it to the parade before accessing the roof of a business through a fire escape ladder.
He then fired more than 70 rounds into the crowds below, killing 6 and wounding dozens more, Covelli said.
“During the attack, Crimo 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 were fleeing the chaos," he added.
Officials say Crimo III then dropped the weapon and fled the scene with the rest of the panicked public, blending right in almost as if he was an innocent spectator.
The 21-year-old then went to his mother’s house and borrowed her vehicle before later being found and taken into custody, according to Covelli.
Inside that vehicle police found another rifle that appears to have been bought by Crimo III – and investigators elsewhere recovered several more firearms at a home he was living in, in Highwood, which police believe he also purchased legally, Covelli added.
No charges have been filed yet and a motive remains unknown.
Posted by Greg Norman
