The gunman who attacked an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago, killing at least seven people, legally bought two high-powered rifles and three other weapons despite authorities being called to his home twice in 2019 after he threatened suicide and violence, police said Tuesday.
A spokesman for the Lake County Major Crime Task Force told a news conference that the suspected shooter, who was arrested late Monday, used a high-powered rifle “similar to an AR-15″ to spray more than 70 rounds from atop a commercial building into a crowd that had gathered for the parade in Highland Park, an affluent community of about 30,000 on the Lake Michigan shore.
Police said they were called to the suspect’s home in September 2019 after a family member called to say he was threatening “to kill everyone” there. Task force spokesman Christopher Covelli said police confiscated 16 knives, a dagger and a sword, but said there was no sign he had any guns at the time.
The suspect legally purchased the rifle used in the attack in Illinois within the past year, Covelli said. In all, police said, he purchased five firearms, which were recovered by officers at his father’s home.
Police in April 2019 also responded to a reported suicide attempt by the suspect, Covelli said.
It was not clear whether Crimo’s past contacts with police would have barred him from obtaining an Illinois gun owner’s license. State police, who issue the licenses, did not immediately respond to a message from The Associated Press inquiring about his eligibility.
The day after the shooting, authorities reported the death of a seventh person. More than three dozen other people were wounded in the attack, which Covelli said the suspect had planned for several weeks.
Investigators who have interrogated the suspect and reviewed his social media posts have not determined a motive for the attack or found any indication that he targeted victims by race, religion or other protected status, Covelli said.
“They’re also going to be digging extensively into his background. They’re going to continue to interview family members and continue to search through his online history, through his writings and videos that he made, to just try to get a better picture of exactly who this was and why he might have done this,” according to Mike Balsamo of the Associated Press.
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