Bobby Crimo was quizzed by police in April 2019 and again in September 2019
In April, his family called police a week after he threatened to kill himself
In September, he threatened to 'kill everyone' and cops confiscated 16 knives, a dagger and a sword from him
Crimo is also accused of 'sizing up' a synagogue in Highland Park in April 2022 during the Passover holiday
He was however not arrested and instead, went on to legally buy five guns including two rifles
Crimo, 21, remains in custody in Illinois
Highland Park shooter Bobby Crimo was questioned by police twice in 2019 including once after threatening to 'kill everyone' and another after he threatened suicide, but was never arrested.
Crimo is now in custody awaiting charges for the massacre yesterday. Police at first said he was not known to them but on Tuesday, they revealed he was interviewed twice by authorities.
The first was in April 2019 a week after he threatened to kill himself. The second was in September 2019, after he threatened to 'kill everyone' in his family.
Police recovered 16 knives, a dagger and sword from his home but he was not arrested.
Instead, he was able to turn 21 and buy two assault rifles in Illinois, along with three other types of gun. It remains unclear why the two previous incidents were not flagged when he legally purchased the weapons.
Chris Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff's Office disclosed the prior incidents at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
In the April 2019 incident, 'an individual contacted Highland Park department a week after learning of him attempting to suicide. It was a delayed report.
'They responded to the residence, spoke to him, his parents and the matter was being handled with the mental health profession. There was no law enforcement action to be taken.
'In September 2019, a family remember reported that he said he was going to "kill everyone" and that he had a collection of knives. They responded and took 16 knives and a dagger from his home.
'There was no probable cause to arrest and no complaints assigned by the victims. They did notify the Illinois State Police.'
Crimo is also accused of 'sizing up' the Central Avenue Synagogue in Highland Park, Illinois, according to the Times of Israel.
Rabbi Yosef Schanowitz is quoted by the website as saying that he recognized the suspect from an incident that occurred in April 2022. The rabbi said: 'During the last Passover holiday, that person entered the Chabad synagogue. We have an armed security guard sitting in front… I approached him and sternly asked him to leave as I noticed he was not a member of our community.'
In a separate interview with Forward.com, the congregation's head of security Martin Blumenthal said of Crimo: 'He was definitely sizing up the synagogue.'
Blumenthal said that Crimo was wearing all black clothes and black gloves 'in the goth style.' The head of security said that he checked Crimo's backpack for weapons but didn't find any.
He added: 'He said his name was Bobby and he lived in the neighborhood. I watched him the whole time.' Blumenthal added that Crimo then left on his bike.
Police have still not been able to determine a motive. Crimo is expected to be charged later today.
Six of the seven people that were killed in the shooting have been named. They are Steve Straus, 88; Katherine Baldstein, 64; Jacki Sondheim, 63; Nicholas Toledo Zaragoza, 78; and husband and wife Irina and Kevin McCarthy, 35 and 37.
The McCarthys leave behind a two-year-old son, Aiden, who was found wandering alone in the aftermath of the shooting.
After the attack Monday, he fled among frightened paradegoers, pretending to be one of the victims, and went to his mother's house.
Police said they do not think she knew that he was the shooter when he asked her for her car. She gave it to him and he fled the area.
It comes as questions over the gunman's motive, lifestyle and his obsession with the numbers 47 arise.
Crimo had a 47 tattoo on his cheek and the numbers are emblazoned on the side of a car.
The vehicle was left abandoned in the front yard of his home on Tuesday, after it was raided by FBI agents. Crimo also posted the number all over his social media accounts, where he also shared ominous rap videos that glamorized school shootings.
On Tuesday, it was revealed:
Paul Crimo, his uncle, has since told how he was behaving normally on Sunday night. He claims he showed 'no signs of violence' - despite YouTube rap videos in which he glamorized school shootings. The shooter's motive for yesterday's attack remains unknown.
'I'm heartbroken. I’m so heartbroken. There were no signs that I saw that would make him do this. He’s a quiet kid. He’s usually on his own. He’s a lonely, quiet person. He keeps everything to himself,' Paul Crimo, his uncle, told CNN.
In the same interview, Paul Crimo confirmed that his nephew lived in a small apartment behind the house owned by Bob Crimo Jr., along Pleasant Avenue in Highwood.
'Everything was as normal,' he said, adding that he was sitting on a recliner in his home the night before the shooting, looking at his computer. We are good people here, and to have this is devastating. I’m so heartbroken for all the families who lost their lives.'
In a separate interview with Fox32, Paul Crimo said: 'I saw no signs of trouble. And if I did see signs, I would have said something. I’m deeply heartbroken and I’ll be heartbroken for the rest of my life.'
Bobby Crimo, 21, (right) with his little brother Sam (left). The pair attended Lincoln Elementary School and between 2008 and 2014, they attended the LEAP afterschool program. They were routinely the last kids to be picked up, according to coaches who taught them
Crimo's parents have not yet addressed the attack. His father Bob Sr. ran unsuccessfully for mayor against Nancy Rotering.
On Tuesday morning, Rotering confirmed that Crimo 'legally obtained' his weapon. She said she taught him when he was a cub scout, and that he was a normal 'little boy'. Police are yet to confirm what type of weapon he used, but witnesses and videos suggest it was a high-powered rifle.
'It's one of those situations where you stand back and ask, what happened? How did somebody become this angry, this hateful, to then take it out on innocent people who were just literally having a family day out.?
'He was just a little boy,' she said.
Pictures here
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10985319/Highland-Park-shooter-interviewed-cops-TWICE-2019.html
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