Highland Park Shooter Robert Crimo Dressed As A Woman To Flee The Scene

New information has been released on how exactly the Highland Park shooter was able to leave the scene of the crime undetected.

During the Highland Park Fourth of July parade in Highwood, Illinois, 21-year-old Robert “Bobby” Crimo III fired his rifle from a rooftop above the parade, killing seven people and injuring 30. Authorities say he had the attack planned weeks in advance.

“During the attack, Crimo was dressed in women’s clothing, and investigators do believe he did this to conceal his facial tattoos and his identity and help him during the escape,” Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Chris Covelli said.

Police are not entirely sure what the attire consisted of, but he was reported to have long hair, so a wig is not out of the question. Video surveillance helped police identify Crimo as the shooter, seeing when he initially left the scene.

After the shooting, Crimo went back to his mother’s house, took her car and drove to Madison, Wisconsin where he contemplated shooting up an event there. He turned back to Illinois where he was later arrested. He had abandoned the gun from the earlier shooting but still had another rifle with about 60 more rounds of ammunition with him.

A community member tipped the police saying they saw him and called 911. North Chicago police conducted a traffic stop and took him into custody.

Police said the suspect had legally purchased five firearms since 2019, four of which were purchased when he was under 21. His father had sponsored his application when he purchased the semi-automatic rifles in 2020, according to Covelli.

Between June 2020 and September 2021, Crimo passed four background checks while purchasing the firearms.

In 2019, police were called to Crimo’s home twice for threats of violence and suicide. He had threatened “to kill everyone” there. When police arrived, they confiscated 16 knives, a dagger and a sword, but there was no sign he had a gun at the time.

Crimo, who also goes by the pseudonym “Awake the Rapper,” posted music videos online with dark lyrics and animations of gun violence. One video included a stick figure resembling Crimo wearing tactical gear and carrying out an attack with a rifle, with the lyrics, “I need to just do it, it is my destiny.”

Crimo is currently being held in jail without bail on seven charges of first-degree murder, with more possible charges to be filed in the future, according to County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart.

“For each individual that was hurt, people can anticipate an attempted murder charge as well as an aggravated battery with a firearm charge,” Rinehart said in a news conference after the hearing. “Every time he fires a bullet at an individual, he is committing aggravated discharge of a weapon, whether he hit someone or not. There will be many more charges coming in the coming weeks.”

Crimo faces a sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted Assistant State’s Attorney Ben Dillon said during Wednesday’s hearing.