Disturbed Suspect Arrested in Fourth of July Mass Shooting in Illinois

HIGHLAND PARK, IL – A person of interest connected to an attack where six people were gunned down and many others were injured during a shooting at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, a wealthy suburb of Chicago, has been captured following an hours-long manhunt. 

According to Fox News, Robert Crimo III, 22, was taken into police custody after a brief car chase, Highland Park Police Chief Lou Jogmen said. A North Chicago police officer spotted the vehicle authorities alerted earlier in the day they believed might be driven by Crimo while he was on the run, Jogmen said.

At least six people were killed in downtown Highland Park, Illinois, during a Fourth of July parade, and dozens have been injured, officials said.

The suspect is described as a 22-year-old local amateur rapper with a history of disturbing online posts.

Robert “Bobby” E. Crimo III, who performs as “Awake the Rapper,” was taken into custody Monday shortly after FBI agents visited his family’s home in Highwood, about a mile from the scene of the shooting in Highland Park, WGN-TV ­reported.

An IMDb page under Crimo’s name identifies him as a “rapper, singer, songwriter, actor and director” from the Chicago area. The page boasts one of his songs released in 2018 amassed “millions of plays so far across online streaming platforms.

Crimo had posted a video to his since-deleted YouTube page that included a drawing of someone who appeared to have been shot dead by police, screenshots posted online indicated.

He released a music video titled “Are You Awake” in October 2021 that included drawings of a man aiming a rifle at a person.

The video also showed an image of a newspaper clipping about Lee Harvey Oswald, who shot and killed President John F. Kennedy, and another image that shows a drawing with blood spurting from a person’s body.

A later frame shows police cars arriving as the shooter holds his hands up.

The disturbed suspect allegedly possessed the weapon legally.  

This is a developing story.