Highland Park shooting suspect confesses, was planning second attack in Wisconsin

• Highland Park shooting suspect confesses.
• He was planning a second attack in Wisconsin.
• Investigations into the case continue.

Highland Park shooting. The man accused of killing seven people at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park confessed to police that, after the parade shooting, he fled to Madison, Wisconsin to carry out another shooting, authorities said Wednesday, according to USA TODAY and the AP.

Robert Crimo returned to Illinois, where he was arrested, because he decided he wasn’t ready to carry out a second shooting in Wisconsin, Lake County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit spokesman Christopher Covelli said. An Illinois judge ordered the suspect held without bail. Police found 83 shell casings and three ammunition clips on the roof where he fired the shots, Lake County Prosecutor Ben Dillon said.

WHAT IS THE SHOOTER CHARGED WITH?

Robert E. Crimo III was charged with seven murders Tuesday in the shooting that sent hundreds of parade participants and spectators fleeing in terror, including many children with their parents. Police immediately began searching Highland Park, an upper-middle-class suburb on the shores of Lake Michigan. His motive is still unknown.

Before the confession, Crimo’s lawyer had said that his client planned to plead not guilty. A semi-automatic rifle “similar to an AR-15” was used to fire on parade spectators from the roof of a commercial building, said a spokesman for the Lake County police force.

HOW MANY VICTIMS?

The seventh victim died Tuesday. More than 30 people were injured in the attack, which the suspect had been planning for weeks, police spokesman Christopher Covelli said. About three years ago, police went to Crimo’s home when a relative called to say that he was threatening to «kill everyone.» Covelli said police seized 16 knives, a dagger and a sword, but found no firearms at the time, in September 2019.

In April 2019, police responded to a report of an attempted suicide by the same suspect, Covelli said. He added that Crimo legally acquired the rifle used in the attack in Illinois earlier this year. In total, he bought five firearms that the agents found in his father’s house, according to initial investigations. Filed Under: Highland Park Shooting

NOWHERE FEELS SAFE

For many, the attack, in which at least seven people died and more than 30 were injured, only confirms the feeling that there is no safe place in the United States. That any place, any event, can be dangerous, if not deadly, even though most gun violence is a personal matter.

Highland Park is one of the safest cities in the United States and 4th of July parades are among the most traditional celebrations in the country. However, the fear of outbreaks of violence is such that many people wonder if it is worth attending large gatherings. Filed Under: Highland Park Shooting