Highland Park shooter legally obtained weapons despite previous threats

Police encountered Robert Crimo III, 21, when he tried to take his own life in April 2019, prompting a call to officers, investigators said at a press conference, without elaborating much on that case, which was treated as a mental health emergency.

That report prompted police to remove 16 knives, a dagger and a sword from his home.

He surrendered and was arrested. Crimo was still in custody late Tuesday afternoon but had not been charged in connection with the massacre.

Covelli said state prosecutors anticipated discussing the filing of charges against Crimo at an evening news briefing.

The shooting comes barely a week after Joe Biden signed into law a bipartisan gun bill intended to prevent dangerous people from accessing firearms.

The fact that Crimo legally purchased so many weapons despite seemingly glaring warning signs that he could be a danger to others has reignited the nationwide debate about whether the US is doing everything it can to rein in access to high-capacity guns.

Authorities have said they had not found any evidence Tuesday that Crimo targeted any of the slain or wounded because of their race, religion or other federally protected statuses. Therefore, Covelli said, officials as of Tuesday were not treating the attack as a possible hate crime.

Highland Park is a tight-knit, generally affluent bedroom community of about 30,000 people.