The father of the gunman who killed 7 and injured dozens during a July 4 parade in Highland Park, Illinois, says he has no regrets signing a consent form to help his son purchase a gun three years ago.
BREAKING OVERNIGHT: The father of the suspected gunman in the Highland Park 4th of July parade mass shooting, speaks out to @ABC: “I love my son but it’s devastating to everyone involved.” @perezreports.https://t.co/1q4FHXZxqt pic.twitter.com/q4ZOf55jJe
— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 7, 2022
In an interview with ABC News, Robert “Bobby” Crimo Jr. said he has no remorse.
“Do I regret that? No, not three years ago—signing a consent form to go through the process…that’s all it was. Had I purchased guns throughout the years and given them to him in my name, that’s a different story.”
Crimo says his son’s 2019 suicidal run-in with police was just a “child’s outburst…taken out of context.” But at the time, police report confiscating 16 knives, a dagger, and a sword.
On Wednesday, Illinois State Police announced there will be a criminal investigation into Crimo’s culpability because he sponsored his son’s application for a firearm owner identification card in 2019. The document the father signed says he “shall be liable for any damages resulting from the minor applicant’s use of firearms or firearm ammunition.”
The Daily Beast has reported several red flags in the confessed shooter’s life, including apparent obsessions with mass shootings, but his father told ABC, “I had no—not an inkling, warning—that this was going to happen.” He added, “This isn’t Bobby. I guess that’s why it’s so hard to wrap yourself around it. It doesn’t add up.”
As I reported yesterday, Crimo has confessed to the shooting.
“Do I regret that? No, not three years ago—signing a consent form to go through the process…that’s all it was. Had I purchased guns throughout the years and given them to him in my name, that’s a different story.”https://t.co/XVZrstbXol
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) July 7, 2022