This is the semi-automatic rifle Robert Crimo III hid in his car after his Fourth of July massacre at the Highland Park parade — one he planned to use in a second holiday mass shooting.
A Kel Tec SUB2000 — one of at least five handguns the killer purchased legally, even after cops deemed him a “clear and present danger” — was found in Crimo’s car when he was arrested hours after his bloodbath, said the police.
The confessed 21-year-old killer had already discarded the semi-automatic machine gun he used to kill seven and wound dozens more on Monday – a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 – at the scene as he fled, disguised in women’s clothing.
The semi-automatic weapon found in the car of self-confessed Highland Park shooter Robert Crimo. Authorities say Crimo “seriously considered” using the Kel Tec SUB2000 to carry out another shooting. Kel Tec
After fleeing Illinois in his mother’s car, he headed to neighboring Wisconsin — where he later admitted to considering a second attack after stumbling upon Independence Day festivities, cops said Wednesday.
He also had about 60 rounds of ammunition ready, police said.
“He was seriously considering using the firearm in his vehicle to carry out another shooting in Madison,” Lake County Major Crimes Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said at a news conference.
Robert Crimo III was able to buy five guns despite being labeled a “clear and present danger” after threatening to “kill everyone” in his family. AP
“[But] there are indications that he did not plan enough to carry out another attack,” Covelli said.
A photo of the weapon released Wednesday by the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force shows it resting on a black backpack in the front passenger seat of Crimo’s mother’s car.
Its ease of breaking down and concealment is one of its main selling points, Kel Tec said of the semi-auto “designed to be the most comfortable 9mm or .40 caliber rifle available.”
Crimo II confessed to the shooting that devastated the close-knit Chicago suburb of Highland ParkREUTERS
“Ideal for backpacking and situations where space and convenience are at a premium,” the company says of the weapon, which retails for about $600.
“Folded, it stows well in situations where space is limited, but deploys quickly in situations where time is of the essence,” says the gunmaker.
More importantly, Kel Tec boasts, “The SUB2000 is just plain fun to shoot.”
Three other firearms — a Remington 700, a shotgun and a Glock 43 — were recovered from Crimo’s home after the shooting, officials said.
The demented aspiring rapper’s ability to buy the guns sparked outrage after it emerged he had already been branded a “clear and present danger” after threatening to “kill everyone” in his family in September 2019 when they were found gruesome sets of knives in his home.
However, he was never charged – and his family never noted any mental health issues, despite the then 19-year-old threatening suicide.
His father, former mayoral candidate Robert Crimo Jr., helped his son get a firearms owner identification card — or FOID — just weeks after the threats.
After that, his son passed four police background checks, despite Illinois’ red flag law, which aims to take guns away from people with potentially violent behavior.
In an exclusive interview with The Post, the killer’s father insisted he bears “zero” responsibility for his son’s massacre.
He bought everything himself and they are registered to him,” said the father about his son’s weapons.
The shooter’s father, Robert Crimo Jr., insisted to The Post that he bears “zero” responsibility for his son’s actions, despite sponsoring his ability to buy guns. DANIEL WILLIAM McKNIGHT
“You know, he drove over there, he ordered them, he picked them up, they ran a background check on every single one,” insisted the father, who was under fire.
The parents’ attorney, Steve Greenberg, also told Fox 32 that sponsoring the FOID card “is no different than enrolling your child in a driver’s program.”
Crimo is charged with seven counts of first-degree murder, which will carry a mandatory life sentence without parole.
Crimo III is charged with seven counts of first-degree murder and is likely to face more charges soon, prosecutors say. Robert Crimo via REUTERS
“There will be many, many more charges,” said Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart, promising to file attempted and aggravated murder charges for each victim.
Some of the injured remain hospitalized in critical condition and the death toll could still rise, police warned.
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