Highland Park shooting: Robert Crimo’s parents say they had ‘zero’ role in July 4 parade attack

Bystanders run after hearing gunshots in shooting at July 4 parade in Illinois

A toddler was orphaned after his father shielded him from semi-automatic gunfire in the Independence Day parade shooting in Illinois.

Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering told NBC that Kevin McCarthy had laid across his two-year-old son Aiden to protect him from gunfire during Monday’s mass shooting.

Ms Rotering said the image of Aiden, who also lost mother Irina, would “haunt” her for the rest of her life.

On Wednesday, Robert Crimo was denied bail after he made his first court appearance on Wednesday on seven charges of first-degree murder.

Prosecutors told the judge the 21-year-old made a “voluntary statement confessing to his actions” and revealed that the young man had made his way to Madison, Wisconsin, where he intended to commit another mass shooting but turned back.

If convicted, he will face life in prison without the possibility of parole.

According to police, Mr Crimo had planned an attack for weeks and fired more than 80 rounds randomly into the crowd watching the parade, killing seven and injuring more than three dozen people.

Hours before the Independence Day shooting, Mr Crimo reportedly told his father that the gunman behind Sunday’s shooting in Denmark was “an idiot”.

Key points

• Father insists that he had ‘zero’ involvement in the mass shooting
• Robert Crimo faces life without parole after being charged with seven counts of first degree murder
• Suspected shooter contemplated carrying out second attack, police say
• Crimo makes first court appearance
• Suspect threatened to ‘kill everyone’ in his home three years before shooting

[7 July 2022 19:05 · Johanna Chisholm]

Extended family of 2-year-old orphaned by Highland Park shooting open up in first interview

Relatives of the 2-year-old boy who was left orphaned on Monday after his parents Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35, were among the seven people who were killed in the shooting spree have opened up about what this difficult week has been like for their family.

Irina Colon and her husband sat down with NBC News on Thursday to discuss why they felt moved to open a GoFundMe for the young child who lost both his parents this week, a fundraiser that has now raised nearly $3m.

“I think it just occured to us right away,” said Ms Colon. “What’s gonna actually help this family? Like prayers and all that, fine, great. Food, ya. But what’s ultimately going to help them? And it’s GoFundMe like a 100 per cent.”

Watch the full interview below:

[7 July 2022 19:33 · Johanna Chisholm]

Robert Crimo’s parents insist shooting wasn’t their fault as prosecutor refuses to say if they’ll face charges

In the days since the horrific Highland Park shooting on 4 July, more disturbing details about the alleged shooter Robert Crimo III have been unearthed. One such detail includes an incident where Mr Crimo threatened to “kill everyone” in his family home just months before receiving a gun permit.

Mr Crimo’s parents continue to insist that their son’s alleged actions along that doomed parade route wasn’t their fault.

“They make me like I groomed him to do all this,” Robert Crimo Jr said of critics during an interview with New York Post this week.

Meanwhile, his and his wife’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, has argued that the parents of the 21-year-old suspected gunman should not be held responsible for his alleged actions.

“This isn’t the parent’s fault. This is the fault of the young man who was allowed by the system that’s out there to buy military-grade assault rifles,” said Mr Greenberg in his first on-camera interview with ABC 7 News on Wednesday night, insisting that neither mother or father of the accused shooter be held responsible for his actions.

“I don’t know how much worse it could get then you wake up in the morning and a few hours later, you realise that someone that you’ve loved and nurtured all their lives has done such a terrorific act, and done it to people that you love and respect,” Mr Greenberg said.

Read the full report from The Independent below:

[7 July 2022 20:04 · Johanna Chisholm]

Illinois Sen Tammy Duckworth calls for ban on assault weapons, high capacity magazines

Illinois Sen Tammy Duckworth spoke with CNN on Thursday, and regaled some of the grizzly details from the mass shooting that swept through her state earlier this week while calling on a ban for assault weapons.

“After everyone of these mass shootings, I find myself doomscrolling on my phone and looking for a ballistic backpack I can buy for my girls to wear,” the Illinois senator said during an interview.

“The tragedy of all this is that these sites are bookmarked on my cellphone because I have done this multiple times.”

“We have to get rid of assault weapons. We have to get rid of high capacity magazines,” she added.

Watch a clip of the interview below:

[7 July 2022 20:35 · Johanna Chisholm]

Robert Crimo’s father has ‘no regret’ over helping son get guns

The father of suspected Highland Park parade shooter Robert Crimo has said he doesn’t regret sponsoring his son’s firearm permit after he allegedly threatened to kill his family.

“I filled out the consent form to allow my son to go through the process that the Illinois State Police have in place for an individual to obtain a FOID card,” the father, Bob Crimo, explained in an interview with ABC News. “They do background checks. Whatever that entails, I’m not exactly sure. And either you’re approved or denied, and he was approved.”

“Do I regret that? No, not three years ago -- signing a consent form to go through the process … that’s all it was,” said Bob Crimo, noting that he wasn’t concerned about potential legal consequences.

Read the full report from The Independent here:

[7 July 2022 21:05 · Johanna Chisholm]

Highland Park suspect talked about Denmark mass shooting hours before own attack, father reveals

Robert Crimo III spoke about Sunday’s Copenhagen mall shooting hours before the massacre at the Illinois suburb during an Independence Day parade, his father revealed.

The shooter who killed three and injured four people in Denmark’s capital was “an idiot”, he had allegedly told his father Robert Crimo Jr.

“He goes, ‘Yeah, that is an idiot.’ That’s what he said!” Mr Crimo told the New York Post, recalling the conversation with his son. “People like that [commit mass shootings] to amp up the people that want to ban all guns.”

“I talked to him 13 hours before [Monday’s mass shooting]. That’s why I guess I’m in such shock... Like, did he have a psychiatric break or something?”

Read the full report from my colleague Namita Singh:

[7 July 2022 21:35 · Johanna Chisholm]

Nearly $3m raised for boy orphaned in Highland Park shooting as billionaire donates $18k

The online fundraiser for the 2-year-old who was left orphaned by the Highland Park shooting has now raised nearly $3m.

As of Thursday evening, the GoFundMe page had collected $2,944,000, with donations continuing to pour in every few minutes.

On Wednesday night, billionaire hedgefund manager Bill Ackman claimed responsibility for the $18,000 donation, the Daily Beast confirmed.

[7 July 2022 22:00 · Rachel Sharp]

Marjorie Taylor Greene claims mass shootings ‘designed’ to make GOP support gun control

Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene has pushed the claim that the mass shooting in Highland Park was meant to increase Republican support for gun control legislation.

Ms Greene, who has often peddled conspiracy theories since before she was elected to Congress, made the remarks on her podcast on Wednesday after the shootings.

“It almost sounds like it’s designed to persuade Republicans to go along with gun control,” she said. Ms Greene said that there were no mass shooting during pride parades in the previous month.

“But as soon as we hit MAGA month, as soon as we hit the month we’re all celebrating, loving our country, we have shootings on July 4th”, she said, before saying she would be branded as promoting a right-wing conspiracy theory.

“But what’s the definition of a right-wing conspiracy theory? Well by the way, it’s just the news that’s six months early,” she said.

The Independent’s Eric Garcia has the full story:

[7 July 2022 22:30 · Rachel Sharp]

Mother of Robert Crimo’s ‘only friend’ speaks out

The mother of Robert Crimo’s “only friend” has spoken out about her horror that the man her son used to skateboard with could have committed such terror in the community they both grew up in.

Michele Rebollar’s son Anthony LaPorte died from a drug overdose in 2017 and a then-17-year-old Mr Crimo spoke at his funeral about him being one of the only people he felt he could confide in.

“My name is Bobby, and Anthony was the person I would call when I couldn’t sleep and he would always reply,” he said at the memorial.

“It felt like I wasn’t alone anymore, like I had somebody there, like, that was actually there.”

Ms Rebollar told The Daily Beast that it “broke my heart” to learn that her late son was connected to the person now accused of carrying out the July 4 mass shooting.

She believes Anthony “probably loved Bobby and probably did whatever he could for him” and doesn’t know “what happened between then and now”.

“If you get to the point where you want to kill people in your hometown, where you learned to skateboard, like what happened?” she asked.

[7 July 2022 23:25 · Josh Marcus]

Signing off for today

That is the end of our live coverage of the Highland Park shooting and its aftermath for today.

Thanks for reading, and stick with The Independent for the latest news, analysis, and commentary.