Father of man charged in deadly Highland Park shooting on July 4 pleads GUILTY to helping his then-teenage son obtain a gun permit

The father of the man charged in the deadly Highland Park Fourth of July shooting pleaded guilty today to helping his son obtain a gun permit.

Robert Crimo Jr. was due to stand trial on seven counts of reckless conduct leading to his son’s massacre, but took a plea deal at the eleventh hour.

He will receive a 60-day jail sentence and two years’ probation, in part for signing his son’s application for a firearms identification card to purchase a gun in 2019.

Crimo Jr. must also perform 100 hours of community service, surrender his Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card and any weapons he owns, CBS News Chicago reported.

Robert “Bobby” Crimo III, 22, reportedly killed seven people and injured dozens of others when he climbed onto a roof and opened fire on paradegoers in Highland Park, Illinois, in 2022. He has pleaded not guilty and will stand trial in December. .

Pictured: 22-year-old accused gunman Robert “Bobby” Crimo III appeared in Lake County District Court during his second hearing on November 1 in Waukegan, Illinois

FBI agents on scene a day after 22-year-old suspect opened fire during the July 4, 2022, parade in suburban Highland Park, Illinois, killing seven and injuring dozens

Three years before the mass shooting, Crimo Jr. sponsored his son’s application for a firearms permit.

Crimo III, who was 19 at the time, was too young under state law to request the firearms himself, even though a family member reported months before police that the teen had a collection of knives and had threatened to “kill everyone.” ‘

Crimo Jr. left court on Monday and will report to prison on November 15.

Prosecutor Eric Rijnhart said that if the case had gone to trial, witnesses would have testified that at the time Crimo Jr. signed his son’s FOID card application, he was aware that his son had recently sent suicidal text messages.

Police had reports that Crimo III had threatened his family, and that police had received reports of the boy threatening to commit suicide, and that he had “expressed an interest in committing a mass shooting” in 2014 or 2015.

Under the plea deal, Crimo Jr. admitted that he was aware that his son “posed a substantial risk to others” when he signed Crimo III’s FOID card application, Rinehart said.

The father, who owns a deli that bears his name and at one point ran for mayor of the city, said last year after the massacre that he was “shocked.”

‘I had no idea, no warning, that this was going to happen,” he said.

But prosecutors argued that the boy’s father ignored blatant signs that his son was capable of violence. The New York Times reported.

In December 2022, Crimo Jr. arrested and pleaded not guilty earlier this year to the seven charges of reckless endangerment.

On Friday, during a court hearing, Crimo Jr.’s attorney, George Gomez, called the charges against his client “baseless and unprecedented.”

The judge has said he will allow Crimo III’s statement to police after his arrest into evidence, and both sides are expected to cite the transcript at Crimo Jr.’s trial.

Video of the interrogation – which the judge watched – is not shown to protect the suspected shooter’s right to a fair trial.

Crimo III will not attend his father’s trial or testify to avoid incriminating himself, his lawyer, Gregory Ticsay, has said.

Judge George D. Strickland listens to Robert Crimo Jr.’s attorney, George Gomez, during an appearance Friday at the Lake County Courthouse

Crimo Jr.’s attorney George Gomez speaks with Judge George D. Strickland during the pre-trial hearing on Friday

Robert E. Crimo III (pictured left) looks at Judge Victoria A. Rossetti as he listens to Judge Victoria A. Rossetti during a hearing in Lake County District Court Wednesday, August 3, 2022

The boy faces 21 counts of first-degree murder, 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated assault. He has pleaded not guilty to 117 criminal charges.

The potential evidence (prosecutors say Crimo III admitted he was the shooter when he was arrested hours after the shooting) is extensive.

Gun violence advocates said they are encouraged that police and prosecutors are investigating anyone who may have contributed to the attack, but legal experts say criminal liability can be difficult to prove against a shooter’s parent or guardian.

Crimo III was 21 at the time of the shooting and remains in prison.

Illinois has some of the strictest gun restrictions in the country.

It requires most firearm owners to obtain a gun permit, called a FOID, which is issued by the Illinois State Police.

Under gun laws, Illinois prohibits any person under the age of 18 from owning a gun. State law also generally prohibits people from knowingly transferring a gun to anyone under the age of 18 Giffords Law Center.

Additional restrictions under the law include minors’ access to firearms through the firearms licensing process, which prohibits individuals from possessing firearms if they do not possess a valid permit called a FOID, an identification card for firearms owners.

To obtain a FOID card, an individual must be over 21 years of age or have the written permission of his or her parent or legal guardian to possess and acquire firearms and ammunition.

Rijnhart said when he announced the charges last year that “people bear responsibility when they recklessly endanger others,” the Times reported.

He continued: “The government generally won’t know any more than a parent about what’s going on with an 18, 19 or 20-year-old.”