Robert Crimo III, who police say killed seven people and injured more than 30 in the Illinois shooting, came to Madison shortly after the shooting before driving back to Illinois, where police apprehended him, Christopher Covelli, a spokesperson for the Lake County Sheriff's Office, said Tuesday. At the time, police said, Crimo had a .40-caliber folding rifle and 60 rounds of ammunition in his car.
At a later press conference on Wednesday, Covelli said Crimo didn't drive to Wisconsin intending to launch an attack there but considered it. He decided against it because he "didn't put enough thought and research into it," Covelli said.
Police did not specify which celebration Crimo considered attacking.
A number of celebrations took place in the Madison area on Monday. In Madison, Tribute to the Troops, a patriotic concert performed by the Capitol City Band , took place at Rennebohm Park. Inclement weather led organizers to cancel Fourth Fest 2022, a celebration at The Edgewater hotel. Monona's annual three-day Community Festival at Winnequah Park continued through Monday. In Waunakee, the village hosted WaunaBoom, a day of live music and free family activities. And in Shorewood Hills, celebrations stretched from 8:30 a.m. to sunset, including a parade.
Madison's largest organized Independence Day celebration, Festival Foods Lights the Isthmus event at Breese Stevens Field, was held on Saturday, two days before the shooting.
During his trip to the Madison area, Crimo left his cellphone behind in the 6500 block of University Avenue in Middleton, Covelli said. Police have recovered the device, and the FBI is examining it, authorities said.
"I'm glad he was caught, and my sympathies to everyone who was impacted," said David Benforado, president of the Village of Shorewood Hills, who helped organize the village's celebrations. "People should be free to partake in regular, everyday community events like July 4th activities without the threat of someone killing them with an assault weapon."
Shorewood Hills will look at its security measures for its Independence Day celebrations next year "over the next 12 months," Benforado said. In the interim, he called upon Congress to reinstate the federal assault weapons ban that stood in place from 1994 to 2004.
News of the shooting in Highland Park reached James Latimer, director of the Capitol City Band, in the middle of their Tribute to the Troops Concert.
"I almost broke down at the concert," he said.
With the news of Crimo's trip to Madison, Latimer said he was further concerned.
"Our fabrics have been shaken to the core. As I said at the concert, we have to do something," he said. "I try to be as careful as I can and tell others the same thing, but I'm prepared for the fact that that kind of an incident can happen, anywhere, any time."
©2022 The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wis.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
