A shooting in Highland Park, Illinois has left at least six people dead and more than two dozen wounded. Here is everything we know about Robert Crimo, identified as the Highland Park shooting person of interest.
Who is Robert Crimo
Full Name: Robert Eugene Crimo III
Alias: Awake the Rapper
Origin: Highwood, Illinois
Occupation: Rapper (formerly), Prisoner (currently),
Hobby: Rapping, Songwriting, Playing Videogames.
Goals: Commit a mass shooting (succeeded)
Become a successful rapper (succeeded), Evade Authorities.
Crimes: Murder
Trespassing
Attempted murder
![Robert Crimo Highland Park Shooting Person Of Interest](https://i0.wp.com/greatgameindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Robert-Crimo-Highland-Park-Shooting-Person-Of-Interest.jpg?resize=800%2C450&ssl=1)
Victims
- Irina McCarthy, 35
- Kevin McCarthy, 37
- Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63
- Katherine Goldstein, 64
- Eduardo Uvaldo, 69
- Nicholas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78
- Stephen Strauss, 88
Despite Illinois having some of the tightest gun safety rules in the nation, Robert Crimo III was arrested Monday evening after a shooting in Highland Park, Illinois that left at least six people dead and more than two dozen wounded.
He is being referred to as a “person of interest” while being questioned by Highland Park Police.
![Robert Crimo Highland Park Shooting Person Of Interest 2](https://i0.wp.com/greatgameindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/image_2022-07-05_121403221.jpg?resize=500%2C667&ssl=1)
Without incident, the 22-year-old was taken into custody in neighboring Lake Forest.
Law enforcement currently circling and inspecting vehicle driven by person of interest, 22-yo Robert “Bobby” Crimo III
— Marissa Parra NBC (@MarParNews) July 5, 2022
He’s now in custody related to #HighlandPark parade mass shooting that killed at least 6
LIVE NOW: https://t.co/vEMDs0BRQH | @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/kHdev8CGSy
Crimo has a considerable internet presence, performing as “Awake the Rapper,” online, while IMDB characterizes him as a “six foot Hip hop phenom” born on September 20, 2000. “He’s the middle child of three and of Italian descent,” according to Fox News.
Crimo began uploading his music to the internet at age 11, but first gained traction with his 2016 track “By The Pond” featuring Atlas, according to IMDB. His estimated net worth is “$100 thousand.”
Crimo is the son of Bob Crimo, president at Bob’s Pantry & Deli in Highland Park. According to his Facebook account, the father ran for Highland Park mayor in 2020.
The rapper released a cryptic track called “Are You Awake” on Oct. 15, 2021. The track appears to suggest that Crimo was planning a life-defining act beyond his ability to stop. The video includes drawings of a man aiming a rifle at another person. -Fox News
Watch the video below:
The suspect in the Highland Park shooting, Robert Crimo III, posted multiple disturbing videos on YouTube with violent imagery.
— steven monacelli (@stevanzetti) July 4, 2022
"Like a sleepwalker unable to stop and think, my actions will be valiant. And my thought is unnecessary. I know what I have to do." pic.twitter.com/CROskei1Vh
He also “liked” numerous tweets supporting the arrest of “every Congressmember who helped organize January 6th,” implying a leftist leaning.
![Robert Crimo Highland Park Shooting Person Of Interest 3](https://i0.wp.com/greatgameindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/image_2022-07-05_122032534.png?resize=500%2C777&ssl=1)
Contrary to this:
![Robert Crimo Highland Park Shooting Person Of Interest 4](https://i0.wp.com/greatgameindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/image_2022-07-05_122105320.jpg?resize=500%2C622&ssl=1)
I think Robert Crimo is a psycho. Planned it all out to look like he’s both a Trump supporter and a Biden supporter. Perhaps a true accelerationist. He’s got everyone squabbling over his politics but at the end of the day he killed innocents and represents no one but himself.
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) July 5, 2022
Crimo’s content has been removed from his accounts on Instagram, Discord, Twitter, YouTube, and other social media sites.
Update: According to CBS Chicago, Robert Cremo III has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting that occurred at the Highland Park, Illinois, Fourth of July parade on Monday.
JUST IN: Sources tell us Robert Cremo III has been taken into custody. @cbschicago
— Chris Tye (@TVTye) July 4, 2022
![Robert Crimo Highland Park Shooting Person Of Interest 5](https://i0.wp.com/greatgameindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/image_2022-07-05_122650143.jpg?resize=500%2C521&ssl=1)
JUST IN: Police take Highland Park parade shooting “person of interest” Robert (Bobby) Crimo into custody. pic.twitter.com/sBBGVVM3lP
— Rob Elgas (@RobElgasABC7) July 4, 2022
Update 2: Robert “Bobby” Crimo III has been named by police as a person of interest in the shooting that occurred in Highland Park, Illinois, on Monday.
More photos of Robert "Bobby" Crimo III, the person of interest in the #HighlandPark, Illinois July 4th parade massacre: pic.twitter.com/obLluPKpYX
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) July 4, 2022
ILLINOIS: Robert "Bobby" Crimo III, 22, sought in connection with Highland Park mass shooting. Suspect vehicle is a silver 2010 Honda Fit with IL plate DM80653. Call 911 if seen. (Source: FBI) pic.twitter.com/ykICW6W1SX
— U.S. Emergency Alert (@ENSAlerts) July 4, 2022
Another disturbing video of the Highland Park shooter Robert “Bobby” Crimo #HighlandPark https://t.co/uxHEJorczg pic.twitter.com/rp0sQ9DTV5
— Catalaya Heisenberg (@catalayahere) July 4, 2022
@crabcrawler1 has compiled a list of Robert Crimo’s online publications (click on tweet to jump into thread).
Update 3: There are now 6 fatalities and 24 injuries.
Update 4: According to the Chicago Sun-Times, a shooter began firing on a Fourth of July parade that began Monday afternoon in Highland Park, a city in the southeast of Lake County, Illinois, leaving 16 people injured and five dead.
The gunman is still at large, according to the Highland Park Police Department. They urged individuals to find shelter.
Miles Zaremski, a local of Highland Park, said: “I heard 20 to 25 shots, which were in rapid succession. So it couldn’t have been just a handgun or a shotgun.”
Zaremski said he saw “people in that area that got shot,” including “a woman covered with blood . . . She did not survive.”
Highland Park Shooting:
— PM Breaking News (@PMBreakingNews) July 4, 2022
– At least 5 dead, 16 injured, following mass shooting at July 4th parade in Highland Park, Illinois
– Suspect is at large
– Authorities have secured a perimeter around Downtown Highland Parkpic.twitter.com/f52pnNHnjo
Another local, Debbie Glickman, told the Associated Press that she was on a parade float when she turned around and noticed people fleeing the scene.
“People started saying, ‘There’s a shooter, there’s a shooter, there a shooter,'” Glickman said. “So we just ran. We just ran. It’s like mass chaos down there.”
According to NBC5 Chicago, gunshots broke out during a parade in the affluent neighborhood of Highland Park, prompting a Chicago suburb to cancel what little of its 4th of July celebration remained.
![Robert Crimo Highland Park Shooting Person Of Interest 6](https://i0.wp.com/greatgameindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/image_2022-07-05_123643349.png?resize=500%2C292&ssl=1)
According to The Chicago Sun Times, several individuals were shot.
A Sun-Times reporter saw blankets placed over three bloodied bodies. Other people, running, were visibly bloodied. Police told people: “Everybody disburse, please. It is not safe to be here.”
![Robert Crimo Highland Park Shooting Person Of Interest 7](https://i0.wp.com/greatgameindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/image_2022-07-05_123751653.jpg?resize=521%2C669&ssl=1)
Watch the video below:
Cops are still going to the scene pic.twitter.com/gL3Gjhil7V
— enrique (@Ri_Kayyy) July 4, 2022
#BREAKING: Multiple fatalities reported following reports of an active shooter during a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois.
— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) July 4, 2022
Reports that the suspect is barricaded inside of a Sunset Foods grocery with hostages.
pic.twitter.com/HWIl6G7DFk https://t.co/tODYGnZ2G2
The sheriff tweeted on social media, “STAY OUT OF THE AREA – allow law-enforcement and first responders to do their work,” while Illinois state police described the situation as “active.”
Witnesses say the shooter was on the roof of Uncle Dan’s and fired into parade. 5 or 6 shots, then a pause, then 5 or 6 more shots. The shooter is still at large and North Shore residents are being asked to stay inside. #highlandpark @WGNNews
— Dan Ponce (@DanPonceTV) July 4, 2022
The Sun Times has further information:
Numerous witnesses claimed to have heard several bullets fired. One eyewitness claimed to have counted over 20 gunfire.
Miles Zaremski, a Highland Park resident, told the Sun-Times: “I heard 20 to 25 shots, which were in rapid succession. So it couldn’t have been just a handgun or a shotgun.”
Zaremski said that after the shots at Central Avenue around Second Avenue in downtown Highland Park, he saw “people in that area that got shot,” including “a woman covered with blood . . . She did not survive.”
…
Police were patrolling the area with rifles, apparently looking for whoever fired the shots.
Adrienne Drell, a former Sun-Times reporter, said she was sitting on a curb along Central Avenue watching the parade when she saw members of the Highland Park High School marching band start to run.
“Go to Sunset,” Drell said she heard the students shout, directing people to nearby Sunset Food.
A man picked her up off the curb and urged her to get out, Drell said.
“The Illinois State Police is currently assisting Highland Park PD with an active shoot situation that occurred at the Highland Park Parade,” tweeted the police. “The public is advised to avoid the area of Central Ave and 2nd St. in Highland Park.”
Shotting in highland park 4th of July parade. pic.twitter.com/oCfhzfKRZj
— Hugo Aguilar (@Hugo_Aguilar6) July 4, 2022
Additionally, the mayor of Highland Park issued a warning to stay away from the area on Facebook, writing: “Fourth Fest has been canceled. Please avoid downtown Highland Park. More information will be shared as it becomes available.”