Robert “Bobby” E. Crimo III, is the authorities’ prime suspect for the Highland Park mass shooting that left seven dead and dozens injured.
Authorities believe Crimo “pre-planned” for “several weeks.” They are working to see if there was a motive.
“Investigators … have been in discussions with him. I don’t have anything to say about motivation thus far because it hasn’t been provided,” Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli told the media.
The suspect used a legally purchased weapon that he wrapped in a red blanket and ditched behind a building so he could blend in with the crowd as he fled the area, CNN reported.
Authorities have learned that he had purchased the weapons both locally and legally in 2020 and 2021. Police were called to his home twice in 2019 because he had threatened suicide and to “kill everyone” in his family.
Crimo is accused of climbing onto the roof of a business in the wealthy Chicago suburb on Monday and firing off 70 rounds from a high-powered AR-15-style rifle and then fleeing the chaos disguised as a woman.
“Crimo was dressed in women’s clothing and investigators do believe he did this to conceal his facial tattoos and his identity,” Covelli stated. “He was seen on video camera in women’s clothing.”
It’s possible he may have worn a hairpiece to complete his disguise. “A wig is not out of the question,” Covelli added.
The disguise was likely designed to make it appear “almost as if he was an innocent spectator himself,’’ Covelli continued. “He wore that in an attempt to conceal himself.’’
When he was eventually detained hours later, authorities retrieved another rifle from his car and three firearms. He was taken into custody without incident.
The suspect, who is also an amateur rapper who goes by the name “Awake” left behind a long trail of tributes to mass shootings and public killings on social media platforms, according to the numerous profiles that appear to belong to him.
His recent music videos included depictions of mass murder, NBC News reported.
His latest video on YouTube shows him in the aftermath of a school shooting and ends with Crimo draping himself in an American flag.
He also had two videos on his website about former President Donald Trump.
One video posted to his YouTube page on Jan. 2, 2021, appears to show him with protesters cheering for Trump’s presidential motorcade outside an airport.
In another, Crimo is seen draped in a Trump flag in a June 27, 2021 tweet. The post is captioned with only the word “spam.”
Crimo was charged Tuesday with seven counts of first-degree murder.
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