Illinois: Father of Suspected Highland Park Shooter Charged in Connection With July 4 Parade Mass Shooting

The father of a man accused of killing seven people at a Fourth of July parade at Highland Park in Lake County, Illinois, was charged with felonies on Friday.

Lake County prosecutors said they had charged Robert Crimo Jr., father of alleged Highland Park parade shooter Robert Crimo III, with seven counts of reckless conduct causing great bodily harm for sponsoring his son's Firearm Owner's Identification (FOID) card.

In a press conference Friday, Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said Crimo Jr. acted "recklessly" when he signed his son's application for a gun ownership permit, the New York Times reported.

"People bear responsibility when they recklessly endanger others," said Rinehart as he announced the charges, which carry a prison term of up to three years.

Rinehart noted that the father had knowledge of several concerning episodes involving his son before signing and endorsing the gun application permit.

He said: "Parents and guardians are in the best position to decide whether their teenagers should have a weapon. They are the first line of defense."

He added that "the government is not typically going to know more than a parent" what is happening with "an 18-, 19- or 20-year-old."

At the time of the mass shooting, Rinehart noted that Crimo Jr.'s son was 19 and could not get a FOID card on his own. He said 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds were required to have parent or guardian authorization.

Highland Park Shooter Pleads Not Guilty

Robert Crimo III, now 22, is accused of killing seven people and injuring dozens of others in the Highland Park mass shooting.

He pleaded not guilty to 117 criminal charges, including 21 counts of first-degree murder and 48 counts of attempted first-degree murder.

In a statement on Friday, Robert Crimo Jr.'s lawyer, George Gomez, said the charges against his client were "baseless and unprecedented."

Gomez noted that "this decision should alarm every single parent," who according to "the Lake County State's Attorney knows exactly what is going on with their 19-year-old adult children and can be held criminally liable for actions taken nearly three years later."

Gomez added that his client continues to feel terrible for the victims and families who were hurt and lost loved ones in the July 4 mass shooting, "but these charges are politically motivated and a distraction from the real change that needs to happen in this country."

Crimo Jr. told ABC News in July that the shooting "shocked" him. He said he "had no... not an inkling, warning... that this was going to happen."

Prosecutors Claim Robert Crimo Jr. Signed Highland Park Shooter's Application for Gun Ownership Permit

Nearly three years before the Highland Park mass shooting, Robert Crimo Jr. signed his son's application for an Illinois Firearm Owners Identification card, which is required to buy a weapon in Illinois. Prosecutors noted that he was "criminally reckless" in doing so.

In a news release, prosecutors called his role in assisting his child in obtaining the card a "contributing cause to the bodily harm suffered by the homicide victims in the mass shooting."

CNN reported that, as Rinehart explained, the alleged shooter's age prevented him from receiving the card without parental permission.

According to police testimony, Crimo Jr., who had previously denied involvement in the mass shooting, agreed to sponsor his son's gun license in 2019 even though the son had once told authorities that he "was going to kill everyone" in the family.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Accused Highland Park Shooter's Father Charged - From ABC 7 Chicago