The timeline of Robert Crimo III’s life prior to the July 4 mass shooting in Highland Park is quite a curious one. Unfortunately this event claimed the lives of seven people and Crimo, 21, was charged with 7 counts of murder. The police say he climbed onto a nearby business rooftop and opened fire on paradegoers and participants, sending them running for their lives.
A judge ordered Crimo to be held without bond Wednesday after a virtual hearing in where he voluntarily admitted to the shooting. However, Crimo’s story began long before the 2022 incident. Allegedly, he didn’t have the best childhood and was even living with an uncle shortly before the incident. Here’s what to know about Crimo’s early life, career, and crimes.
Robert Crimo III’s Family And Early Life
Crimo was born on September 20, 2000, as the middle child in a family of three. He began posting his music online when he was 11 years old and first gained attention with his 2016 track “By The Pond”. At the time, he went by the stage name Awake The Rapper. On October 15, 2021, he released a mysterious track called “Are You Awake.” The track seemed to indicate that he was preparing for a life-altering moment. In the video, there were drawings of a man pointing a gun at another person.
Additionally, Crimo’s Facebook reveals his father Bob Crimo, is the president of Bob’s Pantry and Deli. Crimo Snr. ran for mayor in Highland Park in 2020. After the incident, the mother of one of Crimo’s friends spoke to The Daily Beast extensively about the killer. “I don’t know him at all,” she said. “I knew him as a normal kid, like my own kids, but he started to spiral out of control because his whole family was neglecting him.” What his parents are denying, however, is the multiple attempts at suicide Crimo III made over the years. In 2015, a concerned mother whose name has not been released told the same source that she tried to stop him from taking drugs, but he wouldn’t let her. She said she tried to contact his parents, but they wouldn’t listen.
The Incident At Highland Park
Lake County sheriff’s office officials said in a news conference on Tuesday said Crimo opened fire on the paradegoers from a business roof he had access to by an attached ladder. The police said Crimo fired over 70 times during the incident. The first responders mistook the shots for fireworks, and hundreds of revelers fled in panic from Highland Park, a tight-knit community along Lake Michigan’s shoreline. The shooting took place on the parade route, where many people had gathered early in the day to watch the annual event.
“He was disguised as a woman, probably to blend into the crowd as he fled,” said Lake County sheriff’s sergeant Christopher Covelli, who added that Crimo legally bought the AR-15 rifle he used in the Illinois attack. “We found a second gun, also legally purchased, in the car he was driving.” Covelli also said Crimo legally bought three other guns, including the two pistols investigators confiscated in the suspect’s father’s home. He added that there was no indication that the attack was motivated by racism, religion, or any protected status.
Robert Crimo III’s Social Media Pages
The suspect appears to have posted music on multiple streaming platforms under the username AwakeTheRapper. He also appears to have made and uploaded music videos with violent lyrics and animated scenes. “We’re looking at the videos that were posted online,” Covelli said during the news conference. “We haven’t seen them before, and we’re going to look at them to see what they show.”
It seems that some of the suspect’s online posts indicate a long-term plan and intention to commit mass murder. In the video, “Are you Awake,” a cartoon animation of what appears to be the suspect. He’s wearing tactical gear, armed with a rifle saying, “I need to do it, it’s my destiny.” Additionally, in the “Toy Soldier,” video, a similarly dressed stick figure resembling Crimo is shown. He’s lying face down in a pool of blood, with police officers around him.
A Little Look Into His Past Altercations With The Police
Crimo also has records of prior run-ins with Highland Park Police. In April 2019, police went to the family home following a report that Crimo had attempted suicide with a machete the previous week. Officers spoke with Crimo and his parents and were told that mental health professionals were in charge of the situation.
In September 2019, police again went to his home after another family member reported that Crimo had said he was “going to kill everyone,” according to a different police report. The threat was directed at the family inside the home, according to Covelli. During the search, police found a collection of knives – 16 in all – in Crimo’s closet, as well as a dagger and a “Samurai-type blade.” Later that afternoon, Crimo’s father came to the police station to pick up the collection and claim it belonged to him. Covelli said no arrests were made at the time because no signed complaints had been filed against Crimo. Altogether, a number of signs pointed the fact that he was troubled.
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