Suspect in Fourth of July shooting in Illinois disguised himself as a woman, prepared for weeks

Robert Crimo, the man arrested for the Independence Day shooting in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park that left seven dead and 39 wounded, prepared the attack for weeks and disguised himself as a woman to avoid attracting suspicion, authorities said on Tuesday.

According to Lake County Sheriff's Department Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli, Crimo disguised himself as a woman and covered his tattoos to blend in and fired more than 70 shots at parade attendees.

The information was obtained after the Lake County Police Department interviewed witnesses and survivors of the incident while reviewing cell phone recordings.

🇺🇸 | Robert Crimo, el detenido por el tiroteo del Día de la Independencia en Highland Park, planeó el ataque durante semanas e iba disfrazado de mujer para no levantar sospechas.

Dejó 7 personas muertas y más de 20 heridos.

Foto huyendo de la escena vestido como una mujer: pic.twitter.com/mAc0VzM6wR

— Alerta Mundial (@AIertaMundiaI) July 5, 2022

Authorities still do not know why Crimo, 21, might have opened fire on those attending the parade. 

"We have no information to suggest at this time whether it was racially or religiously motivated," Covelli said, adding that it could be considered an anti-Semitic attack because the neighborhood has a large Jewish population.

Authorities determined that the young man had acted alone and planned the attack for weeks. "He brought a high-powered rifle to the parade, gained access to the roof of a tent through the fire escape, and began to open fire on the innocent attendees of the Independence Day celebration," Covelli said.

After firing, Crimo left the rooftop from which he fired, threw down the rifle, and mingled with the crowd as if he were just another parade spectator, heading for his mother's house, who lives nearby. 

There he took his mother's vehicle to escape but was intercepted while trying to flee. Police found a second rifle inside the car.

Local media reported that Crimo had uploaded several violent videos and messages to social media before the attack, including the staging of a school shooting. 

The young man depicted various forms of murder in his videos. In one of the last ones, he shows a beheading for which the Youtube platform closed down his page on Monday night, reported NBC. 

President Joe Biden said. American flags will fly at half-staff at all federal buildings until July 9 as a result of the shooting, including embassies, consular offices, and military installations abroad, reported Efe.