On July 4, 2022, a mass shooting occurred during an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois, United States. The shooting occurred at 10:14a.m., roughly 15 minutes after the parade had started. Seven people were killed, and 48 others were wounded by bullets or shrapnel.
Authorities apprehended 21-year-old Robert Eugene Crimo III more than eight hours after the shooting and charged him the next day with seven counts of first-degree murder. On July 27, the charges were upgraded to 21 counts of first-degree murder, 48 counts of attempted murder, and 48 counts of aggravated battery.
Crimo pleaded guilty to all charges on March 3, 2025, shortly before his trial was to begin. his sentencing was set for April 23. By law, he faced a mandatory life sentence. On April 24, 2025, Crimo was sentenced to 7 consecutive life sentences plus 2,400 years without parole.
Background Highland Park is an affluent suburban community of about 30,000 located in southeastern Lake County, Illinois, United States, north of Chicago, in the area's North Shore. The city held a Fourth of July celebration which included a parade that began at 10:00a.m. CDT (UTC−05:00). The parade started at the intersection of Laurel and St. Johns Avenues, headed north on St. Johns Avenue, then turned west on Central Avenue, and continued to Sunset Woods Park.
Events Shooting The shooting began at 10:14a.m. in downtown Highland Park, with the shooter firing a rifle from the rooftop of the Ross Cosmetics building, a local store on the northwest corner of Central Avenue and 2nd Street. The gunman had gained access to the elevated position by using an unsecured ladder attached to the building.
The shooter used a Smith & Wesson M&P15 rifle with three 30-round magazines. A total of 83 shots were fired. Victims included spectators and some of those marching in the parade. At least one parade attendee provided medical treatment to those injured, before first responders arrived. Footage shot by Chicago Sun-Times reporter Lynn Sweet, a spectator at the parade, shows a participating klezmer band on a float continuing to play as gunfire began, and many attendees running while screaming. Additional photos of the scene were captured by attendees and posted to social media.
Manhunt and suspect's capture Over 100 law enforcement officers from multiple agencies responded to the shooting. The shooter ceased firing as law enforcement officers approached the building, fled the scene and evaded immediate capture. During his escape, the rifle Crimo used fell from his bag and was recovered by police within minutes. He then drove to the Madison, Wisconsin area, with a Kel-Tec SUB-2000 rifle in his car. He considered attacking another Independence Day celebration in Madison, but decided against it. He discarded his cell phone in Middleton, Wisconsin.
A driver from Waukegan and his passengers spotted Crimo's damaged 2010 Honda Fit southbound on U.S Route 41 near Wadsworth. Over the next 13 minutes, they relayed information to 911 operators. Crimo was stopped by North Chicago and Lake Forest Police units at the intersection of U.S. Route 41 and Westleigh Road in Lake Forest, Illinois, and apprehended without incident at approximately 6:30p.m., more than eight hours after the shooting began.
Victims
Seven people were killed and 48 others were injured by either bullets or shrapnel during the attack. Five of the victims—all adults—died at the scene, and two died at the hospital.
Mexican authorities have said two men killed at the parade were "natives of the country." One of these was a 78-year-old Mexican grandfather who was visiting family in the area, and another was a 69-year-old man. Three Jewish victims that were killed were a 63-year-old woman, an 88-year-old grandfather, and a 35-year-old woman. Another was a 64-year-old mother of two. The victims ranged in age from 8 to 88 years old. Highland Park Hospital reported that they were treating 26 people after the shooting, 25 being gunshot wounds, with five later transferred to Evanston Hospital. One of the wounded victims was rendered paraplegic. Additionally, four of the injured were transported to Glenbrook Hospital, and several others were taken to hospitals outside of the Northshore University Medical System network.
Investigation
Highland Park authorities collaborated with the FBI, Illinois State Police, and Chicago Police during the investigation and manhunt. The police believe only one shooter was involved and the shooting was described as appearing to be "very random (and) very intentional". After his arrest, Crimo's home in Highwood, a small suburb just north of Highland Park, was raided by FBI agents.
Lake County authorities alleged that Crimo planned the attack for weeks, and that he dressed in women's clothing and hid his facial tattoos in order to flee the scene after the attack, among panicked parade-goers. Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering said that she believed that the weapon used in the crime was obtained legally. Police seized three rifles, one shotgun, and one handgun from Crimo.
Crimo's motives remain unclear. The London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue said it appeared Crimo's extensive online presence contained posts that gravitated toward far-right and neo-fascist ideologies. A Highland Park rabbi stated that, three months before the shooting, Crimo had entered Central Avenue Synagogue, a Chabad house, during the Passover Seder and was asked to leave. The Chabad House is located two blocks from where the July 4 shooting occurred. However, investigators have determined no racial or religious motivation for the shooting. Michael Masters, national director and CEO of the Secure Community Network headquartered in Chicago, said, "Nothing overtly we have identified in his social media posts says this was an antisemitic attack, but we are coordinating with law enforcement. Apparently on social media, there are some indications he was ideating around the Fourth of July for some period of time, which would indicate this was not an attack on one particular community."
According to experts on QAnon and conspiracy theory movements, Crimo's social media diet, while extreme, was distinct from the realm of QAnon. Mike Rothschild, an author who has written on QAnon, said, "[T]he world Crimo lived in was pretty far off Q. He was in a 4chan bubble of ironic Nazi and anime memes, fascist-inspired music, and mass shooter ideation that basically consumes nothing but irony and sadness."
Legal proceedings Criminal case Robert Eugene (born September20, 2000) was charged on July5 with seven counts of first-degree murder. The next day, he confessed to the shooting. Lake County Sheriff's Office said that he is being held without bail. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for July 28, 2022, but the hearing was obviated when a Lake County, Illinois grand jury indicted Crimo on July27, 2022. Crimo was indicted on 117felony counts: for each of the 7deceased victims, three counts of first-degree murder (21counts), and for each of the 48victims struck by a bullet or shrapnel, one count of attempted murder (48counts) and one count of aggravated battery (48additional counts).
Crimo initially pleaded not guilty, and his trial was originally set for February 2025. At a June 2024 hearing, it was anticipated that Crimo would plead guilty to 55 counts, including 7 counts of first degree murder, and immediately be sentenced. However, during the hearing he declined to change his not guilty plea.
Jury selection for Crimo's trial began on February 24, 2025. That same day, prosecutors dropped aggravated battery charges against him. On March 3, 2025, Crimo pleaded guilty to all 69 counts, just hours before his trial was set to begin. His sentencing was set for April 23, 2025. The maximum sentence Crimo could face in Illinois was imprisonment for life. Following his guilty plea, his mother Denise made a quiet comment in the courtroom that prompted the judge to halt the proceedings. She continued to sit in the courtroom after a warning from the judge, but following proceedings, Denise stormed out of the Lake County Courthouse. In an interview with WGN-TV outside the courthouse, she said that had no free will to make his own choices, and he has never had any outside help."
On April 24, 2025, Crimo was sentenced to 7 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus 2,400 years (50 years on each of the 48 counts of attempted murder), to be served consecutively to the life sentences. His sentencing caused anger to the injured victims inside the court because Crimo would've potentially been afforded the time to address an apology to them. During the recess, the state's attorney told victims that it was his belief the sentence had already been handed down, and therefore it was too late for Crimo to speak during the hearing.
On April 25, 2025, Crimo was transferred to the Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill to serve his sentence.
Civil lawsuits Survivors and their families have also filed multiple lawsuits, including against Smith & Wesson, the maker of the semiautomatic rifle used in the shooting, against Illinois State Police, and Crimo's father, Robert Crimo Jr.
Perpetrator Crimo lived in Lake County throughout his entire life. He attended Highland Park High School but dropped out before his junior year. At the age of 11, he began uploading music to the internet. He has performed under the stage name "Awake the Rapper" and posted his albums on Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music; music videos by him on YouTube depicted mass shootings and characters being shot by police. One video was accompanied by the narration "I need to just do it. It is my destiny." The account is no longer available.
Crimo frequently visited an online message board that discussed graphic depictions of death. He posted a video of a beheading the week before the shooting. He had his own Discord server, which was invaded by 4chan users after the shooting and has since been shut down. Stephen Harrison of Slate speculated he had used a single-purpose account on the English Wikipedia in an unsuccessful attempt to create an article about himself in 2017 and 2018. An account with the same username created articles about Crimo on the Fandom sites Wikitubia and the Rap Wiki.
A vocal supporter of then-former President Donald Trump, Crimo frequented far-right gatherings, often wearing Where's Waldo garb, and confrontationally joined counterprotests. Crimo "signed his name and Donald Trump's when he waived his right to trial."
Police records and people who knew Crimo indicate that he came from a middle class but troubled household. When Crimo was two, his mother Denise left him unattended on a hot August day inside a car with windows rolled up. She pleaded guilty to child endangerment and was ordered to undergo an evaluation at a child advocacy center. Between 2009 and 2014, police officers visited the Crimos' home nearly 20 times, nine of which involved reports of domestic violence. In 2010, Crimo's father, Robert Crimo, Jr. reported that his wife struck him with a screwdriver but later retracted the accusation. Officers recommended that the couple go through marriage counseling or separate. Crimo's parents no longer live together.