The police have identified Robert E. Crimo III (who also goes by “Bobby”) as the “person of interest” in the mass shooting at the July 4th parade in Highland Park, Illinois. They just took him into custody.
Person of interest in Highland Park, Illinois parade shooting, 22-year-old Robert “Bobby” E. Crimo, has been taken into custody following a traffic stop, according to multiple sources. Great work by law enforcement. pic.twitter.com/D4YqUnkNBM
— Michael Masters (@MichaelGMasters) July 4, 2022
There were reports that the shooter may have been firing from the top of a roof. He killed 6 people and at least 26 people were injured during the attack. The police found a rifle at the scene they believe the shooter used. They have not yet identified the type of rifle.
You can see people fleeing the shooting, as the band continues to play on the float.
My video.. I was at #Highland Park parade.. Terrified people fleeing July 4th parade when shooting started. pic.twitter.com/DSe0NJOuem
— Lynn Sweet (@lynnsweet) July 4, 2022
These were pictures from Crimo’s Facebook.
That's him. Robert Bobby E. Crimo the 3rd. #HighlandPark pic.twitter.com/BhbBHFQzzg
— 𝅙 (@DontTellGus) July 4, 2022
His family has a long history in the town of Highland Park. His father Robert Crimo Jr, previously ran for mayor in 2020.
Crimo’s father Bob Crimo is a small business owner who ran for Highland Park mayor. In a bio, he described himself as self employed at Bob’s Pantry & Deli. “This will be my first time in office as as person for the people. Though I have no prior experience in political office, I know the dynamics of Highland Park through my years of experience in business.”
The dad described himself as a “local small business owner. I see how the downtown business district is becoming more distressed as time goes on.” He said, “We need to take a hard look at Highland Park’s many ordinances, rules, and regulations…”
The “person of interest” was a rapper. He had an IMDB listing as “Awake the Rapper” and Twitter accounts related to that name. He had a 2016 track, “By The Pond,” featuring Atlas, according to IMDB.
His account Awake the Rapper had a red rose. He followed some interesting people.
— Dr. Nickarama (@nickaramaOG) July 4, 2022
A wanted poster describes his tattoos: “four tally marks with a line through them on his right cheek, red roses and green leaves on his neck, and cursive script above his left eyebrow.” He has “Awake” tattooed his one eyebrow and “47” tattooed on the other side of his head. He also has tattoos on his hands.
The rapper released a cryptic track called “Are You Awake” on Oct. 15, 2021. The track appears to suggest that Crimo was planning a life-defining act beyond his ability to stop. The video includes drawings of a man aiming a rifle at another person.
The video also includes an image of a newspaper clipping about Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated President John F. Kennedy, and another image of a victim shot with blood spraying from the body. [….]
“Like a sleepwalker, I am unable to stop and think,” he says in the track. “My actions will be valiant and my thought is unnecessary. I know what I have to do, I know what’s in it, not only for me, but for everyone else.”
“There is no past or future, just the now,” he adds. “It is more abstract than I can ever imagine. I can feel the atmosphere pushing me in. It’s unstoppable, like a wave pulling me under, I can’t breathe without it.”
“I need to leave now, I need to just do it. It is my destiny, everything has led up to this,” Crimo says. “Nothing can stop me, not even myself. Is there such thing as free will, or has this been planned out, like a cosmic recipe?”
“It is what I’ve been waiting for in the back of my head, ready to be awakened, It is what I’ve been sent here to do, like a sleepwalker,” he adds.
The disturbing videos suggest he may have been thinking about this for a long time.
Here is part of a disturbing 2021 music video featuring the #HighlandPark parade massacre person of interest, Robert “Bobby” Crimo. He used the name, “Awake, the rapper.” pic.twitter.com/P1u36DBYTt
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) July 4, 2022
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