Robert E. Crimo III, the man who opened fire from a rooftop in Highland Park, Illinois during the city’s Independence Day parade in 2022, backed out of a proposed plea deal which would see him plead guilty to the seven counts of murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery in exchange for a whole-life sentence and the dropping of additional charges which he faces. Crimo’s trial is provisionally set for February 25, 2025.
Immediately following the 2022 shooting, the MEMRI DTTM published extensive research on the shooting, reactions to it, and the online and real-world activities of the perpetrator. MEMRI DTTM researchers were the first to uncover Crimo’s account on a violent gore forum, where he regularly posted pro-Nazi content, hand-drawn images of his family being murdered, and content glorifying violence.
Highland Park Shooter Robert Crimo
The DTTM published the following reports following the shooting.
Neo-Nazis And White Supremacists Online React To Mass Shooting At 4th Of July Parade In Highland Park, Illinois; Many Hope Victims Are Jewish And Speculate About Identity Of Perpetrator
On July 4, 2022, at least one gunman opened fire on an Independence Day parade in the northern Chicago suburb of Highland Park, killing at least six and injuring dozens of parade-goers. During the active manhunt for the perpetrator, later identified as Robert Crimo III, misinformation and rumors were rife on social media, with many users on mainstream platforms and fringe sites alike speculating about the identity of the shooter and the nature of the incident.
Extremists on platforms including 4Chan, Incels.is, Telegram, and Gab reacted to the shooting as the story unfolded. Many users attempted to share breaking news updates as well as intentionally spreading misinformation about the event. Some claimed that the shooter was black, a leftist, Jewish, transgender, or Asian, whilst others espoused conspiracy theories claiming that the event was a "false flag" or perpetrated by the government in order to advance a gun control agenda. Some users on both 4Chan and Incels.is claimed that the shooter was an incel.
Other users speculated about the location of the event, noting that the area surrounding Highland Park is affluent and has a large Jewish population. Many users celebrated this, expressing hope that the victims were either Jewish or black. Others celebrated the attack as a victory for the accelerationist cause, with many arguing that the event will contribute to growing social unrest in the United States.
The following report highlights early reactions to the Highland Park mass shooting from extremist users on 4Chan, Incels.is, Telegram, Gab, and other platforms.
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Highland Park, Illinois Shooter Posted Antisemitic Messages Online, Was Caught 'Sizing Up' Synagogue In April 2022; Neo-Nazis Online React To Shooting With Antisemitic Commentary
On July 4, 2022, Robert E. Crimo III killed seven and injured dozens in a shooting in Highland Park, Illinois. 50% of the Chicago suburb's population is Jewish, according to a 2020 study by researchers at Brandeis University and the University of Chicago. Moreover, Highland Park is also known as a popular destination for Jews throughout the North Shore area thanks to its summer camps, synagogues, and kosher restaurants. Three of Crimo's victims are believed to be Jewish.
After carrying out the attack in Highland Park, Crimo fled to Madison, Wisconsin. According to authorities, he saw another Independence Day celebration in Wisconsin and "seriously contemplated" carrying out another attack there.
While Crimo's motive for the attack is unknown, it is important to note that his online activity, particularly on the gore website "Documenting Reality," indicates he likely has antisemitic views. Moreover, in April 2022, Crimo was reported to have visited a synagogue in the North Shore community, blocks away from the July 4 attack. The synagogue's, Rabbi Yosef Schanowitz released a statement after the attack saying that "an individual he believes was Crimo was wearing a yarmulke when he visited the synagogue." He noted that "he seemed out of place... was greeted by our security team... and departed without incident."
The synagogue's security chief, Martin Blumenthal, noted that he had been suspicious of Crimo when he arrived at the synagogue dressed "in the goth style," and wearing gloves. Blumenthal insisted that Crimo "was definitely sizing up the synagogue."
Crimo in his video "On My Mind," posted on his website before the attack.
The following is a compilation of Crimo's antisemitic online posts on gore website "Documenting Reality," as well as reactions by antisemitic social media users on Telegram, Gab, and Frenschan following the attack.
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Highland Park Shooter Maintained Internet Archive Account For Years, On Which He Posted Videos, Graphics, And Music; Shortly After He Was Named As A Suspect, His Account Was Removed By The Platform
Robert Crimo, who has been indicted for the fatal shooting at the 2022 July 4 parade in Highland Park, Illinois, near Chicago, pleaded not guilty to 117 counts, including 21 first-degree murder charges, on August 3. As of this writing, police do not yet know Crimo's exact motive for the killings. Lake County Major Crime Task Force Deputy Chief Chris Covelli said on July 6: "His motivation isn't necessarily clear, I don't want to go into specifically what he told investigators. However, he had some type of affinity towards the number 4 and 7, and inverse 7 and 4."
Moreover, as detailed in a report released by the MEMRI Domestic Terrorism Threat Monitor (DTTM) project, in April 2022 Crimo visited a synagogue in the North Shore community, blocks away from the July 4 attack. The synagogue's Rabbi, Yosef Schanowitz, said after the attack that someone matching Crimo's description had visited the synagogue, and that he had "seemed out of place... was greeted by our security team... and departed without incident." The synagogue's security chief, Martin Blumenthal, noted that he had been suspicious of Crimo when he arrived at the synagogue dressed "in the goth style," and wearing gloves. Blumenthal insisted that Crimo "was definitely sizing up the synagogue."
Following the shooting and Crimo's arrest, the DTTM published reports on online reactions by neo-Nazis and white supremacists to the attack, and on content he posted on a range of social media platforms, including on the gore website "Documenting Reality." This website features "real death videos" as well as crime scene, combat, and other violent content.
The DTTM report on his social media accounts revealed that on Documenting Reality, Crimo went by "Awake47" and, since joining in June 2020, had published over 3,500 posts. In a June 25, 2022 post on Documenting Reality, he expressed Holocaust denial, in a post stating: "the math is all scewed [sic]. The logistics of 6m Jews doesn't make sense but I'm just retarded." Subsequently, in a July 2, 2022 post, he wrote "retarded Jews" and added a screenshot of a Google definition of the word "retardant" – "not readily susceptible to fire."
Crimo's antisemitic posts on Documenting Reality
DTTM monitoring also found that for years, Crimo had maintained an account on the Internet Archive. Below are examples of content from his account.
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