(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Robert Crimo Jr., the father of the alleged shooter in Monday’s Highland Park shooting, said he had “no clue” about what his son, Robert Crimo III, had been planning.
Investigators of the mass shooting discovered that Crimo Jr. cosigned on his son’s Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card in 2019, even after an incident in which Crimo III reportedly threatened to kill himself and his family, authorities said.
Crimo Jr., though, told ABC News that he does not bear responsibility in the attack.
“I had no — not an inkling, warning — that this was going to happen,” Crimo Jr. said. “I am just shocked.”
Lake County Major Crimes Task Force spokesman Chris Covelli said on Tuesday that police confiscated 16 knives, a dagger, and a sword from the alleged shooter’s home when they investigated that 2019 incident.
In his interview with ABC News, Crimo Jr. said he doesn’t regret cosigning on his son’s FOID card back in 2019.
“Do I regret that? No, not three years ago — signing a consent form to go through the process … that’s all it was,” he said on the network. “Had I purchased guns throughout the years and given them to him in my name, that’s a different story.”
Prior to the Fourth of July parade, Crimo Jr. said he and his wife asked their son if he had any plans for the holiday.
“He said, ‘No,’” Crimo Jr. told ABC News. “That was it.”
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U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said the Highland Park shooting made clear that laws alone can’t keep deadly weapons out of the hands of disturbed young people. Parents bear some responsibility, he said.
“The parents have a special responsibility when it comes to firearms, and particularly when it comes to assault rifles, for God’s sake,” Durbin said. “I think there’s gotta be some culpability and responsibility in this situation.”
A judge in Illinois’ 19th Circuit Court ordered Crimo III to be held without bail. His next hearing will be July 28.
“I love my son, but it’s … it’s devastating,” Crimo Jr. told ABC News.
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