The father of the Highland Park shooting suspect could potentially face criminal charges after sponsoring his son’s firearm permit.
Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said Bob Crimo “may have responsibility in certain circumstances” for the actions of his 21-year-old son Robert, accused of shooting dead seven people at a Fourth of July parade in the US.
It was revealed last week the suspect was too young to get a gun permit from the state of Illinois in December 2019, so his father sponsored his Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card.
He did so despite police being called to the family home twice that year because his son threatened to harm himself and others.
In the first incident, police responded to a call that the then-19-year-old was threatening to take his own life.The second time police made contact with Robert Crimo was in September 2019, just two months before his father sponsored his FOID card.
On that occasion, officers were called to the home because he had threatened to “kill everyone”.
Police later determined Robert Crimo was a “clear and present danger” and went on to confiscate 16 knives, a dagger and a Samurai-style sword from the home, according to a redacted report released by the Illinois State Police.
In an interview with ABC, Bob Crimo claimed the incidents had been “taken out of context” and were more akin to a “child’s outburst”. At the time, police did not open a criminal investigation.
Robert Crimo was reportedly also still underage in 2020 when he bought the AR-15-style weapon allegedly used in the Monday attack and was only able to do so because his father had sponsored his FOID card.
Police said there would be a criminal investigation into the father’s potential culpability because he sponsored his son’s FOID card.
Crimo’s father agreed to be “liable for any damages resulting from the minor applicant’s use of firearms or firearm ammunition” under an affidavit he signed, according to NBC.
The broadcaster quoted police chief Mr Kelly as saying it was “too early to tell” whether the suspect’s parents could face any criminal charges.
He is said to have told reporters: “There’s probably going to be civil litigation. There is ongoing criminal prosecution and criminal investigation.
“Issues of culpability, liability, who may have responsibility in certain circumstances, are all part and parcel of that process. Making a conclusionary statement, the Illinois State Police, weighing in on that, is not appropriate.
“That determination and the answer to that question is something that will have to be decided in the court.”
The parents of the accused shooter have retained high-profile attorney Steve Greenberg, whose previous clients have included figures like R Kelly.
Robert E Crimo III is facing seven counts of first-degree murder after allegedly climbing on to the roof of a building and shooting dead seven people while wounding dozens of others at the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park last week.
