The community of Highland Park may be able to rest a bit easier knowing the shooter, Robert E. Crimo III, who opened fire during a Fourth of July parade, has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder. The world has been on its toes, rattled by the mass shooting that took place on in Chicago, IL on Monday (July 4). So far, police have identified six of the seven victims who were killed. During a Tuesday (July 5) news conference, Jennifer Banek, Lake County Coroner, read the list of names. The victims are listed below:
- 64-year-old Katherine Goldstein of Highland Park
- 35-year-old Irina McCarthy of Highland Park
- 37-year-old Kevin McCarthy of Highland Park
- 63-year-old Jacquelyn Sundheim of Highland Park
- 88-year-old Stephen Straus of Highland Park
- 78-year-old Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza of Morelos, Mexico
An unidentified seventh victim died at a hospital outside of Lake County, Banek said. The release of the victims’ names comes after investigators revealed that they believed the suspected gunman, Robert E. Crimo III, planned the attack “for several weeks” and disguised himself in women’s clothing during the shooting to conceal his identity and make his escape, Covelli said. After focusing on the shooter for the last 36 hours, the attention has now shifted to “the victims and those left behind,” Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering said during the news conference.
Covelli also revealed that Crimo had two prior incidents with law enforcement. In April 2019, an individual reached out to authorities about Crimo attempting suicide. After authorities spoke with Crimo and his parents, the matter was handled by mental health professionals, Covelli said. The second incident occurred in September 2019 when a family member reported that Crimo threatened “to kill everyone” and had a collection of knives, Covelli said. Highland Park police reported the incident to Illinois State Police and 16 knives, a dagger and a sword were removed from their home.
“At that time there was no probable cause to arrest. There were no complaints that were signed by any of the victims,” Covelli said. Although Crimo has been charged, investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the mass shooting.