The Highland Park house where alleged mass shooter Robert Crimo lived has an outside mural of a figure holding a rifle.
News Nation captured footage of the home in the quiet Illinois suburb where the deadly rampage took place - leaving seven dead and scores injured.
“What’s sort of disturbing about that painting with the character holding the gun is when you look at the gunman’s videos online, the face of the character on the side of the house is the same face on the gunman’s t-shirts in the videos online,” reporter Brian Entin said of the report.
Mr Crimo is accused of killing seven people and wounding dozens more at a Fourth of July parade in the affluant Chicago suburb of Highland Park. Mr Crimo, allegedly dressed as a woman, climbed to a rooftop and fired a high-powered rifle into the crowd below.
Mr Crimo was arrested in Lake Forest, Illinois later on Monday.
There were, in hindsight, a number of reasons to be concerned about Mr Crimo’s state of mind. Mr Crimo celebrated and fixated on mass shootings on his social media platforms and released music videos under the name “Awake” that depicted mass killings, and, three years ago, police officers were sent to his home after a family member said that Mr Crimo said he would kill everyone.
Earlier that year, Mr Crimo reportedly attempted suicide. In the last year, Mr Crimo purchased five guns — including rifles and pistols.
“There were red flags, but I didn’t think, again, that they were violent red flags,” one high school classmate told News Nation. I thought he was troubled. I thought he had behavioral issues at school.”
Mr Crimo has been charged with seven counts of first degree murder, and, if convicted, is facing a life sentence in jail. Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon that further charges against Mr Crimo will be forthcoming. He also called for an assault weapons ban in both Illinois and nationally.
“The assault weapon ban was implemented in 1994 with bipartisan support and with the support of law enforcement,” Mr Rinehart said. “It lasted for ten years, and studies have shown that mass shootings like what happened yesterday went down during those ten years. We should have that same ban in Illinois and beyond.”
