Photo: The Canadian Press
FILE – Visitors pay their respects Thursday, July 7, 2022, at altars for the seven people killed in the Fourth of July mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois. On Wednesday, July 27, 2022
The man accused of opening fire during an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago has been indicted by a grand jury on 21 counts of first-degree murder, 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery, representing the seven killed and dozens injured in the attack on a favorite holiday event.
Prosecutors previously filed seven counts of murder against Robert E. Crimo III. They announced the grand jury’s decision to indict him on 117 counts on Wednesday.
Crimo’s attorneys have yet to formally respond to any of the charges he faces in the July 4 shooting in downtown Highland Park, Illinois. A representative for the county public defender’s office, which represents Crimo, said Wednesday that it does not comment publicly on any cases.
Prosecutors said Crimo, 21, confessed to the shooting when police arrested him after an hours-long manhunt on July 4.
Under Illinois law, prosecutors can ask a grand jury to determine whether there is probable cause to start a trial. Grand jury proceedings are not open to the public and defense attorneys cannot question witnesses.
The multiple first-degree murder charges allege Crimo intended to kill, caused death or serious bodily injury and acted with a high probability of causing death or serious bodily injury to the seven people who died.
Prosecutors said Wednesday that the 48 counts of attempted murder and the 48 counts of aggravated assault with a firearm represent “any victim who was struck by a bullet, bullet fragment or shrapnel.”
“I want to thank the law enforcement agencies and prosecutors who presented evidence to the grand jury today,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said in a statement. “Our investigation is ongoing and our victim specialists are working around the clock to support everyone affected by this crime, which has resulted in 117 offenses being reported.”
Authorities said the injured ranged in age from 8 to 80, including an 8-year-old boy who was paralyzed from the waist down when the gunfire severed his spine.
In her first public comments since the shooting, the boy’s mother said in a video and written statement released Wednesday that the violence her family and others have experienced has taught them “to see the incredibly generous, caring, kind and gentle spirit that makes up the vast most of our world.”
Keeley Roberts described her son, Cooper Roberts, as “athletic” and “fun-loving,” but said he has a long way to go. Cooper was shot in the back. The bullet tore through his body, severely damaging his aorta, liver, esophagus and spinal cord before exiting through his chest.
Cooper has undergone multiple surgeries and is paralyzed from the waist down.
Cooper’s twin brother, Luke, suffered minor shrapnel injuries, but his mother worries about the impact of seeing her twin so badly injured. She was also wounded in the leg.
Roberts said he still sees a bright future ahead of Cooper and thanked the parade participants who helped the family after the shooting, along with health care providers and other first responders.
“He’s going to teach a lot of people that the lesson in this is not that one person did this terrible thing,” she said. “The lesson in this is that thousands of people have done great things, kind things, and continue to do good things.”
During a hearing presenting the murder charges, prosecutors said police found more than 80 spent shell casings on the roof of a building along the parade route and the semi-automatic rifle used in the attack on the ground nearby.
Investigators believe Crimo joined the fleeing crowd to get away from the scene, then took his mother’s car and briefly considered a second attack at a party in Madison, Wisconsin, before returning to Illinois, where police arrested him.
Crimo is due in court on August 3.
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