The father of the man accused of killing seven people at a Fourth of July parade in Illinois said he had no indication that his son was going to commit a mass shooting.
Bobby Crimo Jr. told ABC News that he and his wife asked Robert Crimo III, 22, days before the shooting if he had plans for the holiday and he said no. He also claimed he spent an hour with his son the night before the shooting and he appeared to be in a “great mood.”
“I had no — not an inkling, warning — that this was going to happen,” Crimo Jr. commented.
Crimo Jr. also told ABC that he never saw his son pose a threat to anyone. However, in April 2019, police responded to the family’s home amid reports that the suspect, then 18, threatened to “kill everyone.” Officers confiscated a trove of knives, but the father retrieved them four hours later, according to The Independent.
Meanwhile, Crimo Jr. said he believes the knife incident is being “taken out of context.”
“It’s like just a child’s outburst, whatever he was upset about, and I think his sister called the police — I wasn’t living there,” he said.
Three months after the ordeal, Crimo Jr. reportedly sponsored his son’s gun permit application as he was under 21 at the time. Crimo Jr. said his son purchased the gun with his own money and the firearm was registered under his name.
“Do I regret that? No, not three years ago — signing a consent form to go through the process … that’s all it was. Had I purchased guns throughout the years and given them to him in my name, that’s a different story. But he went through that whole process himself,” Crimo Jr. told ABC.
Authorities said they believe Crimo planned the mass shooting for weeks and fired 70 rounds from a Highland Park rooftop during Monday’s attack which killed seven and left more than two dozens injured. Crimo allegedly used a weapon similar to an AR-15 which was legally purchased in Illinois.
Investigators believe Crimo was wearing women’s clothing amid the shooting to “conceal his facial tattoos and his identity and help him during the escape with the other people who were fleeing the chaos.” Despite this, police officers who were familiar with Crimo were able to identify him as the shooter.
Crimo allegedly walked to his mother’s home, which was nearby, and borrowed her vehicle.
Covelli said they have not determined a motive despite interviewing Crimo and reviewing his social media accounts — where he reportedly posted violent rap songs. Presently, there is no indication that Monday’s mass shooting was a hate crime.
Crimo, who is charged with seven counts of first-degree murder, allegedly admitted to being the mass shooter.
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[Featured image: Robert Crimo III/Lake County Major Crime Task Force via AP]