Robert Eugene Crimo III

On July 4, 2022, a mass shooting occurred during an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois, United States.

The shooting occurred at 10:14a.m. CDT (UTC−05:00), roughly 15 minutes after the parade had started.

Seven people were killed, and 48 others were wounded by bullets or shrapnel.

Authorities apprehended 21-year-old Robert Eugene Crimo III more than eight hours after the shooting and charged him the next day with seven counts of first-degree murder.

On July 27, the charges were upgraded to 21 counts of first-degree murder, 48 counts of attempted murder, and 48 counts of aggravated battery.

Highland Park is an affluent suburban community of about 30,000, located in Lake County, Illinois, United States, 25 mi north of Chicago, in the area's North Shore.

The city held a Fourth of July celebration, which included a parade that began at 10:00a.m. CDT (UTC−05:00).

The parade started at the intersection of Laurel and St. Johns Avenues, headed north on St. Johns Avenue, then turned west on Central Avenue, and continued to Sunset Woods Park.

He then drove to the Madison, Wisconsin area, with a Kel-Tec SUB-2000 semiautomatic rifle in his car.

He considered attacking another Independence Day celebration in Madison, but decided against it.

He discarded his cell phone in Middleton, Wisconsin.

The shooting began at 10:14a.m. in downtown Highland Park, with the shooter firing a rifle from the rooftop of the Ross Cosmetics building, a local store on the northwest corner of Central Avenue and 2nd Street.

The gunman had gained access to the elevated position by using an unsecured ladder attached to the building.

The shooter used a Smith & Wesson M&P15 semiautomatic rifle with three 30-round magazines.

A total of 83 shots were fired.

Victims included spectators and some of those marching in the parade.

At least one parade attendee provided medical treatment to those injured, before first responders arrived.

Footage shot by Chicago Sun-Times reporter Lynn Sweet, a spectator at the parade, shows a participating klezmer band on a float continuing to play as gunfire began, and many attendees running while screaming.

Additional photos of the scene were captured by attendees and posted to social media.

Over 100 law enforcement officers from multiple agencies responded to the shooting.

The shooter ceased firing as law enforcement officers approached the building, causing the shooter to flee the scene and evade immediate capture.

During his escape, the rifle Crimo used fell from his bag and was recovered by police within minutes.

A driver from Waukegan and his passengers spotted Crimo's damaged 2010 Honda Fit on the southbound U.S Route 41 near Wadsworth.

Over the next 13 minutes, they relayed information to 911 operators.

Crimo was stopped by North Chicago and Lake Forest Police units at the intersection of U.S Route 41 and Westleigh Road in Lake Forest, Illinois, and apprehended without incident at approximately 6:30p.m., more than eight hours after the shooting began.

Seven people were killed and 48 others were injured by either bullets or shrapnel during the attack.

Five of the victims—all adults—died at the scene, and two died at the hospital.

Mexican authorities have said two men killed at the parade were "natives of the country."

One of these was a 78-year-old Mexican grandfather who was visiting family in the area, and another was a 69-year-old man.

Three Jewish victims that were killed were a 63-year-old woman, an 88-year-old grandfather, and a 35-year-old woman.

Another was a 64-year-old mother of two.

The victims ranged in age from 8 to 88 years old.

Highland Park Hospital reported that they were treating 26 people after the shooting, 25 being gunshot wounds, with five later transferred to Evanston Hospital.

Additionally, four of the injured were transported to Glenbrook Hospital, and several others were taken to hospitals outside of the Northshore University Medical System network.

Highland Park authorities collaborated with the FBI, Illinois State Police, and Chicago Police during the investigation and manhunt.

The police believe only one shooter was involved and the shooting was described as appearing to be "very random (and) very intentional".

After his arrest, Crimo's home in Highwood, a small suburb just north of Highland Park, was raided by FBI agents.

Lake County authorities alleged that Crimo planned the attack for weeks, and that he dressed in women's clothing and hid his facial tattoos in order to flee the scene after the attack, among panicked parade-goers.

According to the Los Angeles Times, "A 2020 study by Brandeis University and the University of Chicago found Highland Park had among the Chicago region's highest concentrations of Jewish residents."

The neighboring suburb of Highwood is home to a large Hispanic population.