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Person of interest apprehended in July 4 parade attack that killed 6, authorities say
Rooftop shooter on July Fourth parade in Highland Park, a Chicago suburb, leaves at least six people dead and 38 more injured
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HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — A person of interest in the July Fourth parade attack that killed six people and injured 38 others in suburban Chicago on Monday has been apprehended, authorities said.
Robert "Bobby" E. Crimo III was spotted in a Honda Fit described as wanted by the FBI in North Chicago, where local police attempted a traffic stop before the man took them on a short pursuit, authorities said.
At the end of the chase Crimo surrendered peacefully to North Chicago officers, they said.
Chris Covelli of the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force said at a news conference Monday night that Crimo "is believed to have been responsible for what happened, and the investigation will continue."
Law enforcement officials confirmed that a YouTube page for a quasi-famous hip-hop artist, Awake the Rapper, removed Monday, is associated with Crimo, identified by IMDb and YouTube as a performer and producer of emo rap-style music since 2016.
The manhunt began when officers saw a person they thought was a sniper on a downtown rooftop. When they approached, he ran away.
Witness Larry Bloom said that at first people thought the popping sound was part of the parade.
“You heard like a ‘pop, pop, pop,’ and I think everybody kinda thought maybe it was a display on one of the floats, and then it just opened up,” he told NBC Chicago.
“I was screaming, and people were screaming,” Bloom added. “They were panicking, and they were just scattering, and I, you know, we didn’t know. You know, it was right on top of us.”
Five of the six people who were killed were pronounced dead at the scene, and the sixth victim died at a hospital, Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek said.