Robert Crimo’s dad was ‘right’ to help him get guns: uncle
The uncle of confessed Highland Park mass shooter Robert Crimo III insisted Friday that his brother “did the right thing” when he helped his son buy guns — while conceding that he would not have done so himself.
“I support him 100% — I think he did the right thing,” Paul Crimo told CNN of his brother, the gunman’s dad, Robert Crimo Jr.
The uncle admitted that he was “sure” that his brother “knew about” his son having been investigated for threatening to “kill everyone” in 2019, just two months before he backed the shooter’s successful bid to start buying guns while he was still just 19.
The future shooter had confessed to cops at the time that he was a depressed drug user — and was flagged as a “clear and present danger.”
Still, the dad soon sponsored his son’s Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card, and also reclaimed 16 knives, a 12-inch dagger and a 24-inch Samurai-style sword that concerned cops had confiscated.
In his interview, uncle Crimo dismissed the warning signs over his nephew, who shared disturbing videos and artwork of guns and shootings.
“People recover quickly … maybe he recovered quickly and he was in his right mind frame at that time,” he said of his nephew and the 2019 threats.
He maintained that his brother likely “saw no trouble when he signed” FOID card that allowed his namesake-son to start buying weapons, including the Smith & Wesson M&P 15 he used to fire more than 80 rounds during his local Fourth of July parade, killing seven and injuring dozens.
Yet “if it was me, no, I wouldn’t … I probably would not have signed it,” the uncle said, flummoxed when asked to explain why.
“I think the law’s gotta be tightened up,” he said.
Despite his “100%” support for his brother and complete denial of any concerns for his nephew owning guns, Crimo repeatedly blamed Illinois’ laws for the future shooter’s gun-buying spree.
“If somebody has a life threat, if somebody’s suicidal or if somebody’s under depression … the state should see that and not give the person a FOID card,” he said of concerns he justified his brother ignoring.
He noted how his nephew “passed four background checks,” calling it proof he “seemed fit” to be a gun owner.
“If he had seemed unfit then he would never have gotten the FOID card,” he said, repeating that “the laws need to be tougher.”
Authorities have yet to rule out possible charges against the shooter’s dad, who also faces potential civil liability.
However, he insisted in an exclusive interview with The Post this week that he had “zero” responsibility.
Crimo has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder, which would bring a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole.
“There will be many, many more charges coming,” said Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart, vowing to bring attempted murder and aggravated battery charges for each individual who was hurt.
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Some of the wounded remained hospitalized in critical condition and the death toll could still rise, police warned.
