HIGHLAND PARK, ILL.  (AP) – A man charged Tuesday with seven murders after firing more than 70 bullets at an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago legally purchased five guns, including the high-powered weapon used in the shooting, despite that authorities were called to his home twice in 2019 for threats of violence and suicide, police said.
Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said the suspect, if convicted of the first-degree murder charges, would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.  He promised that dozens of other charges would be sought.
A spokesman for the Lake County Major Crime Task Force said the suspected shooter, who was arrested late Monday, used a rifle “similar to an AR-15” to spray more than 70 rounds from the top of a commercial building into a crowd who had gathered for the parade in Highland Park, an affluent community of about 30,000 on the shores of Lake Michigan.
A seventh victim died of his injuries on Tuesday.  More than three dozen other people were injured in the attack, which Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said the suspect had been planning for several weeks.
The attack happened less than three years after police went to the suspect’s home following a call from a family member who said he was threatening to “kill everyone” there.  Covelli said police seized 16 knives, a dagger and a sword, but said there was no indication he had any weapons at the time in September 2019.
Police in April 2019 also responded to a reported suicide attempt by the suspect, Covelli said.
The suspect legally purchased the rifle used in the Illinois attack last year, Covelli said.  In all, police said, he bought five firearms, which were found by officers at his father’s home.
The revelation about his gun purchases is just the latest example of young men who have been able to acquire guns and carry out massacres in recent months despite glaring warning signs about their mental health and propensity for violence.
Illinois State Police, which issues gun licenses, said the gunman applied for a license in December 2019, when he was 19.  His father supported his application.
At the time, “there was insufficient basis to establish a clear and present danger” and deny the application, state police said in a statement.
Investigators who questioned the suspect and reviewed his social media posts did not determine a motive or find any indication that he targeted victims based on race, religion or other protected status, Covelli said.
Earlier in the day, FBI agents looked in trash cans and under picnic blankets as they searched for more evidence at the scene.  The shots were initially mistaken for fireworks before hundreds of revelers fled in terror.
A day later, baby carriages, lawn chairs and other items left behind by panicked marchers remained inside a wide police perimeter.  Outside the police tape, some residents drove up to collect blankets and chairs they left behind.
David Shapiro, 47, said the gunfire quickly turned the parade into “chaos.”
“People didn’t immediately know where the shots were coming from, whether the gunman was in front of you or behind you chasing you,” he said Tuesday as he brought out a wheelbarrow and lawn chairs.
The gunman initially evaded capture by dressing as a woman and blending into the fleeing crowd, Coveli said.
The shooting was just the latest to destroy the rituals of American life.  Schools, churches, grocery stores and now community parades have all become graveyards in recent months.  This time, the bloodshed came as the nation sought to celebrate its founding and the bonds that still hold it together.
An officer pulled over 21-year-old Robert E. Crimo III north of the shooting scene several hours after police released his photo and warned he was possibly armed and dangerous, Highland Park Police Chief Lou Jogmen said.
His father, Bob, a longtime deli owner, ran for mayor in 2019. The candidate who won that race, current Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering, said she knew Krimo as a boy in the Cub Scouts.
“And it’s one of those things where you step back and say, ‘What happened?’  Rotering said on NBC’s “Today” show.  “How did someone get so angry, so hateful, to then take it out on innocent people who were literally just having a family day?”
Crimo’s attorney, Thomas A. Durkin, a prominent Chicago-based attorney, said he plans to plead not guilty to all charges.
Asked about his client’s emotional state, Durkin said he has only spoken to Crimo once – for 10 minutes over the phone.  He declined to comment further.
Steve Greenberg, the parents’ attorney, told The Associated Press on Tuesday night that the parents are not worried about being charged with anything related to their son’s case.
“There is no chance they will be charged with anything criminal,” he said.  “They didn’t do anything wrong.  They are as surprised and shocked as anyone.”
The shooting occurred at a point along the parade route where many residents had staked out prime viewing spots earlier in the day.
Among them were Nicolas Toledo, who was visiting family in Illinois from Mexico, and Jacki Sundheim, a lifelong colleague and staff member at nearby North Shore Congregation Israel.  The Lake County Coroner has released the names of four other victims.
Nine people, ranging in age from 14 to 70, remained hospitalized Tuesday, hospital officials said.
Since the beginning of the year, the U.S. has seen 15 shootings where four or more people were killed, including the one in Highland Park, according to the Associated Press/USA TODAY/Northeastern University mass killings database.
Dozens of smaller shootings in nearby Chicago also left eight dead and 60 others injured over the July 4 weekend.
In 2013, Highland Park officials approved a ban on semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.  A local doctor and the Illinois State Rifle Association were quick to question the suburban liberal’s stance.  The legal battle ended up on the doorstep of the US Supreme Court in 2015, when justices declined to hear the case and let the suburb’s restrictions remain in place.
Under Illinois law, gun purchases can be barred to people with felony convictions, drug addictions, or people called “mentally defective” who are capable of harming themselves or others.  This may have prevented a suicidal Crimo from obtaining a gun.
However, according to the law, who is “mentally defective” must be decided by a “court, board, commission or other legal authority.”
The state has a so-called red flag law designed to stop dangerous people before they kill, but it requires family members, relatives, roommates or police to ask a judge to order guns confiscated.
Crimo, who goes by the name Bobby, was an aspiring rapper under the stage name Awake the Rapper, posting dozens of videos and songs on social media, some ominous and violent.
In an animated video captured by YouTube, Crimo raps about armies “walking in the dark” as a drawing of a man pointing a rifle, a body on the ground, and another figure with hands up in the distance appears.
Federal agents were reviewing Crimo’s online profiles, and a preliminary examination of his online history showed he had investigated mass murders and downloaded numerous photos depicting violent acts, including a beheading, a law enforcement official said.
The official could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who was in Chicago to speak at the National Education Association’s annual meeting on Tuesday, visited the scene of the shooting to offer her condolences to first responders and local officials.
“The entire nation needs to understand and have a level of empathy, to understand that this can happen anywhere, in any peaceful community,” Harris said in brief remarks to reporters in Highland Park.  “And we need to stand together and talk about why it needs to stop.”
Shapiro, the Highland Park resident who left the parade with his family, said his 4-year-old son woke up screaming later that night.
“He’s too young to understand what happened,” Shapiro said.  “But he knows something bad happened.”
Foody reported from Chicago.  Groves reported from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  Associated Press writers Don Babwin in Chicago, Mike Householder in Highland Park, Bernard Condon and Mike Balsamo in New York, Aamer Madhani in Washington, Jim Mustian in New Orleans, Barbara Ortutay in San Francisco and researcher Rhonda Shafner also contributed.