CHICAGO (AP) — The daddy of an Illinois man charged with killing seven folks in a mass taking pictures at a July 4 parade in a Chicago suburb has been charged with seven felony counts of reckless conduct, prosecutors introduced Friday.
Lake County State’s Legal professional Eric Rinehart mentioned Robert Crimo Jr. surrendered to police on Friday and can have a bond listening to Saturday. Rinehart mentioned the fees are based mostly on Crimo sponsoring his then 19-year-old son’s software for a gun license in 2019.
“Dad and mom and guardians are in the perfect place to determine whether or not their youngsters ought to have a weapon,” Rinehart mentioned. “On this case, the system failed when Robert Crimo Jr. sponsored his son. He knew what he knew and he signed the shape anyway.”
Rinehart wouldn’t additional talk about what led his workplace to file the fees this week. Authorities have beforehand mentioned the accused shooter, Robert Crimo III, tried suicide by machete in April 2019 and in September 2019 was accused by a member of the family of constructing threats to “kill everybody.”
Each these experiences got here months earlier than Crimo Jr. sponsored his son’s software in December 2019.
Chicago-area lawyer George M. Gomez mentioned by telephone Friday that he was representing Robert Crimo Jr. within the newly introduced legal case. He declined to reply questions however emailed an announcement that described the fees as “baseless and unprecedented.”
“This choice ought to alarm each single mother or father in the USA of America who based on the Lake County State’s Legal professional is aware of precisely what’s going on with their 19 12 months previous grownup youngsters and might be held criminally responsible for actions taken practically three years later,” the assertion from Gomez mentioned. “These fees are absurd and we are going to combat them each step of the way in which.
Gomez mentioned Crimo Jr. “continues to sympathize and really feel horrible for the people and households who had been injured and misplaced family members,” however the lawyer known as the fees “politically motivated and a distraction from the true change that should occur on this nation.”
A grand jury in July indicted Robert Crimo III on 21 first-degree homicide counts, 48 counts of tried homicide and 48 counts of aggravated battery, representing the seven folks killed and dozens wounded within the assault on a beloved vacation occasion in Highland Park.
Till Friday, Rinehart had refused to debate whether or not the person’s dad and mom may face fees related to the killings.
Authorized consultants have mentioned it’s uncommon for an accused shooter’s mother or father or guardian to face fees — partially as a result of it’s tough to show such fees.
In a single notable exception, a Michigan prosecutor final 12 months filed involuntary manslaughter fees in opposition to the dad and mom of a teen accused of fatally taking pictures 4 college students at his highschool. A January trial date in that case has been delayed whereas the state appeals court docket considers an enchantment by the dad and mom.
Authorities have beforehand mentioned that Illinois State Police reviewed Crimo III’s December 2019 gun license software and located no purpose to disclaim it as a result of he had no arrests, no legal report, no severe psychological well being issues, no orders of safety and no different habits that will disqualify him.
However following the parade taking pictures, public data confirmed that Crimo III tried suicide by machete in April 2019, based on a police report obtained by The Related Press that famous a “historical past of makes an attempt.”
In September 2019, police obtained a report from a member of the family that Crimo III had a set of knives and had threatened to “kill everybody.”
Each Crimo III and his mom disputed the specter of violence on the time. Police have mentioned father Robert Crimo Jr. later instructed investigators the knives belonged to him, and authorities returned them.
Robert Crimo Jr. has proven up at a number of pretrial hearings for his son this 12 months, nodding in greeting when he son entered the courtroom shackled and flanked by guards. The daddy is a longtime resident of Highland Park and a well-known face across the metropolis, the place he was as soon as a mayoral candidate and was well-known for working comfort shops.
In media interviews after the taking pictures, Robert Crimo Jr. had mentioned he didn’t anticipate to face fees and didn’t imagine he did something improper by serving to his son get a gun license by the state’s established course of.