Most of the incidents involved allegations of verbal or physical altercations between the parents of the shooting suspect, Robert Crimo Jr. and Denise Pesina. The reports, released by the Highland Park Police Department, paint a picture of the sometimes tumultuous home where Robert “Bobby” Crimo III grew up before he allegedly shot dozens of people enjoying a Fourth of July parade. Seven of those shot died, and Bobby Crimmo is charged with seven counts of first-degree murder. During an argument in August 2010, Crimo Jr. he told police that his relationship with Pesina was “failing” and that Pesina had hit him on the head with her shoe and was drunk. Pessina told police that Crimo Jr. he had “disrespected and belittled” her after making comments about her appearance and that those comments led her to drink. Police said they offered Pessina a packet of information about domestic violence, but said she already had a packet from a different domestic incident a few days earlier. Attempts by reporters to reach the defendant’s parents for comment in person and through their attorney were unsuccessful, and neither Pessina nor Crimo Jr. has been charged with domestic violence in Lake County, according to court records. A painting apparently depicting a person holding a rifle is seen at the back of the home of the alleged gunman’s mother on July 7, 2022, three days after a mass attack at the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) But the parents of Robert Crimo III have drawn attention in recent days after it was revealed that the shooting suspect’s father supported a FOID card application that allowed Crimo to legally purchase the gun he allegedly used to terrorize holiday marchers in Highland Park. A review of public records shows repeated Highland Park police involvement at the Crimo family home over the years, especially between the mother and father. Crimo Jr., the former owner of the now-shuttered Highland Park deli, ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2019. In October 2010, police were called to the home due to an argument between Pessina and Crimo Jr. According to the police report, Crimo Jr. said Pessina “trash-talked” him, threw all his belongings out of his dresser and hit him with a screwdriver. Pessina, in a statement to police, said Crimo Jr. “made nasty statements to me like he always does, calling me names.” Crimo Jr. he later told police that Pesina had not tried to hit him with the screwdriver and declined to mention that detail in his police statement. On two occasions, Crimo Jr. and Pesina called each other to the police for attempts to drive while intoxicated, which escalated. In June 2011, Crimo Jr. called the police claiming that Pesina was trying to drive to pick up her daughter while intoxicated, and that after confronting her, she stopped Crimo Jr. from leaving. In November 2013, Pessina called the police claiming that Crimo Jr. he was trying to go to work while drunk. Pessina pleaded guilty to DUI in Lake County in 2012. In 2002, Pessina pleaded guilty to a child endangerment charge after leaving Crimo III, then about 2 years old, alone in a car with the windows rolled up for 27 minutes in a toy store parking lot, according to court records. It was about 79 degrees outside during this incident. In September 2019, just months before Crimo III applied for a gun license, police conducted a well-being check after a report that a few days earlier Crimo III had made a “threat at home” stating he was “going to kill everyone.” The police report notes that a person identified in the report said he was “scared to go home” because of Crimo’s threat and collection of knives. Police removed the knives from Crimo’s possession and filed a “Clear and Present Danger” report with the Illinois State Police. A car with the number ’47’ painted on the door is parked outside the home of the alleged shooter and his father in Highwood on July 7, 2022, three days after the mass shooting at the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) Crimo Jr. told the New York Post and ABC News that he is not responsible for the attack despite his role in funding his son’s gun permit application because he said he was following the law. “You know, he went through the legal process. I don’t know if it’s his fault. I feel horrible about what happened. Beyond horrible,” Crimo Jr. said. on ABC News. Illinois State Police Superintendent Brendan Kelly declined to comment Wednesday on whether Krimo’s father could be held responsible. [ Highland Park police ‘clear and present danger’ warning insufficient to keep alleged parade shooter from purchasing rifle, state police say ] Steve Greenberg, an attorney who briefly represented the defendant’s parents, told the Tribune that Crimo Jr. he was unaware of the 2019 threats when granting his son’s FOID card application months later. Crimo Jr. he at least knew that police had confiscated guns that were in his son’s room, according to the police report. The father later collected the weapons from police, including a 24-inch samurai sword, 16 knives and a dagger. In April 2019, Highland Park police became involved with the shooting suspect again after the department received a call requesting a well-being check on the then 18-year-old. Crimo III had allegedly attempted suicide with a machete. According to the police report, medical professionals were involved. A neighbor of the family, who declined to be named, told a Tribune reporter Thursday that police would come to the Highland Park home on a seemingly weekly basis when the alleged shooter’s parents lived there together. A reporter saw a woman on the front porch of the home Thursday, but no one answered the door. Grass grew wild on the front lawn. Faux stained glass style vinyl stickers decorated the windows, behind which the white curtains were drawn. In the backyard, a haunting painting appeared on the faded reddish-brown brick: a tall figure holding a long rifle clad in military camisole with a yellow smiley face for a head. It’s black smile and eyes dripped down. The neighbor told the Tribune that on the day of the shooting, they saw Crimo III drive away from the house in his mother’s silver Honda Fit when they returned from the Independence Day parade.
Afternoon briefing
Daily Top stories from Chicago Tribune editors, delivered to your inbox every afternoon. Crimo III is not believed to have stayed at the Highland Park home with his mother, but rather lived in an apartment on the property of his father’s home in Highwood, according to his uncle, Paul Crimo. Crimo, 55, said the massacre shocked him and that he didn’t know his nephew had guns when he pulled into his driveway. “I am sorry from the bottom of my heart. I’m devastated,” Crimo said. Paul Crimo, uncle of alleged shooter Bobby Crimo, outside his home in Highwood on July 7, 2022, three days after a mass shooting at the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) “He lives in the apartment next door. We didn’t see each other,” he said, referring to another structure on the lot. “He didn’t show me any aggression or anything. Always. There is no sign of anything I saw.” A logo used by the attacker in violent music videos and social media posts was nailed above the door of a shed next to the house. The logo appeared to be almost identical to that of Suomen Sisu, a far-right, nationalist Finnish political association, but the Southern Poverty Law Center, which reviewed Crimo’s online file, said earlier this week that its significance, if any , remains unclear. A silver Acura coupe sat on the home’s front lawn, weeds growing around its tires. A red, sharp-toothed grin was affixed to the front bumper and the number ’47’ was painted on the doors. Paul Crimo said the car belonged to his nephew. A neighbor of Crimo III, who declined to give his name, said the father occasionally exchanged pleasantries but that his son did not socialize with those who lived nearby. The 21-year-old alleged mass shooter often rode his electric scooter, they added, and wore all black and blasted hard, loud music. Madeline Buckley of the Chicago Tribune contributed.
