Dec. 17 (UPI) — The father of the suspect accused of shooting and killing seven people and injuring dozens of others at an Illinois Fourth of July parade is now charged in connection with the case, authorities said.
Robert Crimo Jr. was charged with seven counts of felony reckless conduct, according to court documents released on Friday by the Lake County, Ill., State’s Attorney’s Office.
Because of his age at the time, Crimo III needed his father’s participation in the process to obtain the FOID card in Illinois.
“Robert Crimo Jr., the father, took a reckless and unjustified risk to sign his son’s application for a firearm owner’s identification card,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said at a Friday afternoon news conference.
“As we all work together to address the root causes of crime, to hold shooters accountable for their crimes in the courts and to pass common sense gun regulation, we must also remember the longstanding principle that people bear responsibility when they recklessly endanger others,” he said. “These are the moral and legal foundations on which these charges rest.”
Crimo Jr. faces one charge for each of the seven people killed. He appeared in bond court on Saturday, where Judge Jacquelyn Melius reduced his cash bond from $500,000 to a $50,000 and subjected him to conditions including the surrender of any dangerous weapons in his possession, WLS-TV reported.
His attorney issued a statement calling the charges “baseless and unprecedented” and asserting they should “alarm every single parent in the United States of America who, according to the Lake County State’s Attorney, knows exactly what is going on with their 19-year-old adult children and can be held criminally liable for actions taken nearly three years later.”
In July, Robert Crimo III was indicted on 117 counts related to the mass shooting earlier in the month. He faces 21 counts of first-degree murder, which breaks down to three counts of first-degree murder for each victim who died.
The 21-year-old is also facing 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm for each parade victim who was injured by a bullet or shrapnel.
