The suspect in the Highland Park, Illinois Fourth of July parade mass shooting has been charged with seven counts of first degree murder, said prosecutors on Tuesday.
If convicted of the seven counts, one for each person he is accused of murdering, 21-year old Robert Crimo faces a mandatory life sentence.
“Today, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office has charged Robert Crimo III with seven counts of first degree murder for the killing spree that he has unleashed against our community,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said at a press conference. “These are just the first of many charges that will be filed against Mr. Primo.”
Rinehart added that his office will likely file additional charges against Crimo, which will include attempted murder and aggravated battery.
“In the courtroom, we will seek the maximum sentence against this offender. Not because we seek vengeance, but because justice and the healing process demand it,” Rinehart said.
Of the seven victims of the mass shooting, which occurred in a heavily Jewish suburb of Chicago, as many as four may have been Jewish, according to Israel’s consul general in Chicago Yinam Cohen.