Father of July 4th Highland Park parade shooting suspect released early from jail for good behavior

WAUKEGAN (AP) — The father of the suspect in a deadly 2022 Fourth of July parade shooting in Highland Park has been released early from jail after serving part of a 60-day sentence for sponsoring a firearm application for his son.

Robert Crimo Jr. was released Wednesday for good behavior, according to authorities.

Crimo Jr. pleaded guilty last month in Lake County court in Waukegan to seven misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct. He originally had been charged with seven felony counts of reckless conduct — one for each person his son, Robert Crimo III, is accused of killing.

Three years before the attack in Highland Park, Crimo III at 19 was not old enough to seek his own gun license, but could apply with the sponsorship of a parent or guardian. His father signed off on the application even though just months earlier, a relative reported to police that Crimo III had threatened to “kill everyone.”

Crimo III faces 21 first-degree murder counts, 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery. Prosecutors say he admitted he was the gunman when he was arrested hours after the shooting. Crimo III fired his public defenders Monday and told a judge he plans to represent himself at trial.

Crimo Jr.’s case is significant because it is a rare example of a parent or guardian held criminally liable for the actions of a mass shooting suspect.