Waukegan, Ill. — At a sentencing hearing on Wednesday, witnesses and survivors of a mass shooting at a 2022 Independence Day parade emotionally recounted their harrowing experiences, though the gunman, Robert “Bobby” E. Crimo III, chose not to appear in court. Last month, Crimo, 24, admitted guilt to 69 charges, including 21 counts of murder, for the attack in Highland Park, approximately 30 miles from Chicago, which resulted in seven deaths and nearly 50 injuries.
Illinois, lacking the death penalty, mandates life imprisonment without parole for such offenses. The absence of the accused in court disallowed direct confrontations during the victim impact statements. Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart communicated Crimo’s decision to the courtroom, while Judge Victoria Rossetti confirmed that the sentencing would proceed regardless of his attendance.
Among the speakers was Dana Ruder Ring, a local mother who vividly described shielding a young boy under her care amidst the chaos. The tragedy unfolded when Crimo fired into the crowded street from a rooftop, striking fear and causing immediate pandemonium among the parade attendees.
Ring encountered a woman and child, both splattered with blood, the woman handing her the child with the words, “Blood’s not ours, baby is not mine.” Ring managed to reunite the blood-covered boy, missing one shoe, with his family later that day. She described her actions as instinctive maternal responses to the crisis.
The emotional weight of the testimony was palpable in the courtroom as attendees reacted visibly to the prosecution’s presentation of images and video from that tragic day, which claimed the lives of individuals ranging from 35 to 88 years old.
Retired Highland Park Police Department commander Gerald Cameron Jr. also spoke, recalling the sound of gunfire and the ensuing panic among the crowd. His testimony added to the recounting of a day marked by fear and confusion.
Further details emerged about Crimo’s premeditation, as Highland Park police Detective Brian Bodden testified that the gunman had contemplated a mass shooting since 2017 and had initially planned the attack for 2020. Bodden revealed that Crimo had even scoped out the parade site days before the shooting to assess police presence and vantage points.
During police interrogation, Crimo confessed to aiming at adults “chest up” to minimize child casualties, a chilling detail that underscored the cold calculation behind his actions. He described the moments before the shooting as being in a “sleepwalk,” until something “just clicked.”
The lasting impact of the tragedy was underscored by Dr. Jeremy Smiley, an emergency room physician who was off duty and attending the parade. He testified about the haunting images of injured children, particularly recalling an encounter with a young boy, severely wounded, reminding him of his own child.
This sentencing hearing, though marked by the absence of the gunman, served as a poignant reminder of the enduring scars left on a community forever changed by an act of unimaginable violence. The legal proceedings continue to unfold, bringing incremental closure to a day that has fundamentally altered many lives.