Lawsuit accuses state police of allowing suspected Highland Park shooter to purchase weapon

A group of survivors and relatives of those injured or killed in the Highland Park shooting have filed a lawsuit accusing the Illinois State Police of negligence, claiming the agency allowed shooting suspect Robert Crimo III to obtain a gun.

The suit, filed June 27 in the Illinois Court of Claims, alleges that state police did not follow their own procedures when approving Crimo’s application for a gun owner’s permit. The plaintiffs represent a group of surviving relatives of Eduardo Uvaldo, one of the seven dead, as well as others injured or present at the parade. Each plaintiff is seeking nearly $2.5 million.

“The atrocity committed by Robert Crimo III was foreseeable and could have been prevented if only the Illinois State Police and its Firearm Services Bureau had followed their internal regulations, rules, laws and codes of conduct applicable to dangerous individuals such as Robert Crimo III,” the complaint states.

Crimo is accused of climbing to the roof of a downtown Highland Park store and firing a high-powered rifle at the crowd during the 2022 Fourth of July parade. He is charged with seven counts of murder and 48 counts of aggravated assault, one for each victim injured in the shooting.

Several victims have filed civil lawsuits over the shooting. About 60 plaintiffs have joined a lawsuit against Crimo III, his father, gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson and gun shops that helped Crimo III get his guns. The attorneys who filed the lawsuit against the ISP are also representing Uvaldo’s family in a Lawsuit against the manufacturer of the assault rifle used in the attack.

The state police, which issues FOID cards, has already said There were no records that would raise alarm bells at Crimo III.

The complaint details his alleged threat to “kill his entire family” in September 2019, which prompted Highland Park police to fill out “clear and present danger” paperwork designed to prevent him from accessing guns.

According to the complaint, the police department requires the agency to keep “clear and present danger” forms in a database for up to six months after they are filed. In December 2019, two months after Highland Park police filed “clear and present danger” documents on Crimo, he applied for a FOID card and misrepresented his drug history and “clear and present danger” status on the application, the complaint states.

Crimo III’s father, Robert Crimo Jr., sponsored him for the FOID applicationpleaded guilty seven cases of reckless conduct after the shooting and was sentenced to 60 days in prison in late 2023.

Attorney Matthew Sims said in a statement that ISP had the information necessary to prevent Crimo III from acquiring weapons.

“This red flag should have been retained and used to deny the shooter a FOID just weeks later,” he said. “Instead, the state police appear to have done nothing with it.”

Crimo III’s FOID card was issued in January 2020 and he used it to purchase the gun he allegedly used in the February 2020 parade shooting, the complaint says.

An Illinois State Police representative said the agency could not comment on pending litigation.

As of Wednesday afternoon, no hearing had been scheduled for the case, an Illinois Secretary of State’s Office spokesperson said. The case is assigned to the commissioner of the Court of Claims within 60 days of filing. For cases before the Court of Claims, Attorney General Kwame Raoul represents the state agency named in a lawsuit and helps that agency file a response before a hearing is scheduled.

Crimo III is scheduled to go on trial in February 2025. recently rejected a deal that would have put him in prison for life.

Originally published: July 17, 2024 at 5:11 pm