Dad of person of interest in July 4 parade shooting touts Highland Park as ‘safe’ environment in old business profile
The father of Robert Crimo, the person of interest in Monday’s deadly mass shooting in Highland Park, once praised the Chicago-area suburb as a “safe” place to run a restaurant in a decade-old business profile.
Robert Crimo, 22, was taken into custody Monday as a person interest in the shooting at a Fourth of July parade that killed six people and wounded dozens more.
Court records cited by the Chicago Sun-Times said that his father, Bob Crimo, operated Bob’s Pantry & Deli in the city from 2013-18.
“Highland Park provides a safe, clean and supportive environment for family-oriented businesses to operate,” Bob Crimo told the Chicago Tribune in a 2013 business profile. “Additionally, I was the owner of the White Hen Pantry in Ravinia for over 18 years.”
Robert “Bobby” Crimo III.
Located about 30 miles north of Chicago, Highland Park is an affluent city where celebrities including Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen have reportedly owned homes.
“I am a people person,” Bob Crimo said in the business profile. “Interpersonal interactions are extremely important to me, and this venue allows me to have those interactions while providing a unique service to Highland Park and the surrounding communities.”
Authorities say at least 30 people were wounded when a gunman opened fire with a rifle from a rooftop during Monday’s parade.
Robert Crimo was taken into custody hours after the shooting after being stopped by police about five miles away from where the incident took place.
Robert Crimo’s social media posts included violent content, such as an animation of police killing a shooter.
His uncle told the local news station WFLD-TV that he wasn’t aware of any warning signs involving his nephew.
“There were no signs of trouble,” Paul Crimo told the TV outlet. “I saw no signs of trouble. If I did see signs, I would have said something.”
