*Suspect disguises as woman to escape with fleeing victims
A man accused of opening fire on an Independence Day parade near Chicago has been charged with seven counts of murder, officials say.
Lake County State Attorney Eric Rinehart said Robert Crimo, 21, would be punished “for the killing spree he has unleashed against our community”.
The attack in Highland Park left seven dead and dozens injured.
Mr Rinehart added that dozens more charges would be filed before the investigation was over.
“These are just the first of many charges that will be filed against Mr Cremo,” he said to cheers from the crowd gathered for the news conference on Tuesday. “I want to emphasise that. There will be more charges.”
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) also reports that the suspect is accused of firing 70 bullets from a high-powered rifle down onto the crowd before disguising himself as a woman to escape alongside fleeing victims.
The suspect disguised himself as a woman to escape alongside fleeing onlookers, police say
After an eight-hour manhunt on Monday, police arrested Mr Crimo and he was discovered with a second rifle similar to the one used in the attack.
Three other firearms were also found in Mr Crimo’s home, police said.
The suspect had two prior contacts with law enforcement before he purchased five guns in the past year, police said.
In April 2019, police were called to his home one week after he reportedly attempted suicide. And in September 2019, police were called by a family member who said he was making violent threats to “kill everyone”.
Police responded and removed 16 knives, a dagger and a sword from his home. He was not arrested and no further action was taken.
Officials on Tuesday called for an education campaign to raise awareness of the state’s red flag laws, which allow a judge to order that a person deemed dangerous have their weapons seized and be barred from buying more guns.
Mr Crimo is expected to appear in court on Wednesday.
People are in a state of shock here. Some who attended the parade have returned to pick up their belongings.
A few stand in silence as they survey the remnants and try to remember where they were sat or standing when the horror unfolded.
One woman who managed to escape said she is getting help from community counsellors to process what has happened.
The man accused of bringing terror to this town has now been charged with seven counts of murder – and there could be more to come.
Applause and cheers rang out as the state attorney read out the charges at a news conference.
But questions remain. It has been revealed that several years ago the suspect threatened to kill people and had a knife collection seized by police.
People here now want to know why he was able to legally purchase several firearms last year.
