What do we know about Robert “Bobby” Crimo III, the suspected shooter arrested for the Highland Park parade shooting?

At around 10:14 on Monday 4 July a gunman opened fire on a crowd in Highland Park, Illinois. Police say that there are six fatalities and around 31 people hospitalized with serious injuries ranging in age from 8 to 85.

The gunman is thought to be 22-year-old Robert Crimo III. The Highland Park Police Chief, Lou Jogmen, said that a North Chicago police officer spotted the vehicle Crimo was believed to be traveling in and tried to perform a traffic stop. However, the suspect fled and a “brief” car pursuit ensued with Crimo eventually stopping. He was detained without incident in Lake Forest.

Who is Robert Crimo III?

Robert, also known as Bobby, had a large social media presence as an amatuer rapper. He went by the stage name “Awake the Rapper” and had more than 16,000 listeners a month. The account has now been removed from the music site.

The same is true for his Twitter and YouTube accounts; both have been removed. According to the Independent newspaper in the UK, his YouTube channel was full of worrying videos such as Crimo wrapped in US flag after a school shooting as well as a video of someone wearing the logo of his channel gunned down by police.

Crimo has a number of tattoos. According to the FBI, Mr Crimo has tattoos on his face showing four tally marks with a line through them on his right cheek and a cursive script above his left eyebrow that reads “Awake”. He also has red roses and green leaves on his neck.

He also hosted a Discord server, now removed, called “SS”. Discord users shared pictures of Mr Crimo with one selfie making a reference to suicide. Its caption read, “Cursed image screenshot and send to everyone or commit not alive anymore (sic)”. This is likely a reference to terms of service changes on YouTube in the last few years which make it difficult for channels to monetise their videos if they discuss ‘sensitive’ topics.