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Highland Park parade shooting: What we know about person of interest Robert Crimo’s social media

The “person of interest” arrested in the deadly mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade outside Chicago on Monday has been identified as a 22-year-old local amateur rapper with a history of disturbing online posts.

Robert E. “Bobby” Crimo III, who performs as “Awake the Rapper,” was taken into custody Monday shortly after FBI agents visited his family’s home in Highwood, Ill., about a mile from the scene of the shooting in Highland Park, WGN-TV ­reported.

An IMDb page under Crimo’s name identifies him as a “rapper, singer, songwriter, actor and director” from the Chicago area. The page boasts one of his songs released in 2018 amassed “millions of plays.”

“The hip hop phenom is mostly known for his hit song ‘On My Mind’ which was released on Oct. 8, 2018. The track has amassed millions of plays so far across online streaming platforms,” boasts one user-written bio on the page.

Highland Park shooting suspect Robert Crimo III posted a video to his since-deleted YouTube page that included an image of a man with a long gun face-down in an apparent pool of blood with cops standing in front of him. YouTube
Crimo, seen here in a 2021 Twitter post wearing a Trump flag.
A video on his YouTube page reportedly shows him dressed as “Waldo” among Trump supporters.
Crimo was identified as a person of interest and taken into custody hours after the parade massacre. Robert Crimo via REUTERS

Crimo began uploading music when he was 11, according to the IMDb page. The page claims his net worth is $100,000.

“The six foot Hip hop phenom Awake The Rapper was born Robert Eugene Crimo III on September 20, 2000 in Chicago, Il,” according to the page. “He’s the middle child of three and of Italian descent.”

Crimo had posted a video to his since-deleted YouTube page that included a drawing of someone who appeared to have been shot dead by police, screenshots posted online indicated.

Crimo’s music video called “Are You Awake” includes drawings of a man aiming a rifle at another person. Robert Crimo via REUTERS
Crimo began uploading music when he was 11, according to his IMDb page.

He released a music video titled “Are You Awake” in October 2021 that included drawings of a man aiming a rifle at a person.

The video also showed an image of a newspaper clipping about Lee Harvey Oswald, who shot and killed President John F. Kennedy, and another image that shows a drawing with blood spurting from a person’s body.

A later frame shows police cars arriving as the shooter holds his hands up.

A relative said Crimo showed no signs of violence. TANNEN MAURY/EPA-EFE/Shutterstoc
Law enforcement responding to the scene searched a nearby building. AP

In another video, in which Crimo appears in a classroom wearing a black bicycle helmet, he says he is “like a sleepwalker … I know what I have to do.”

“Everything has led up to this. Nothing can stop me, even myself,” he adds.

According to his Spotify page, he put together three albums, in 2017, 2018 and then last year. The page says he’s averaged 16,466 monthly listeners.

Crimo was identified as a “person of interest” and taken into custody.
Law enforcement searched Crimo’s vehicle after he was taken into custody. via REUTERS
Six were killed and dozens more injured in the shooting. AP

His father, also named Robert Crimo, ran for mayor of Highland Park in 2019. He lost to Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering in 2019, WGN 9 reported. When the news station reached out to him for comment, he reportedly hung up.

Crimo also posted at least twice about former President Donald Trump, according to an NBC News report.

He was seen with a Trump flag draped over him in a Twitter post from June 27, 2021, according to the outlet. The caption on the post only read “spam.”

The area was on high alert for hours while the gunman was on the loose. AP
Crimo has a history of disturbing social media postings. AFP via Getty Images
Thousands were forced to flee after gunshots rang out. REUTERS

Another video reportedly posted on his YouTube page appears to show Crimo with other people cheering Trump’s presidential motorcade outside an airport on Jan. 2, 2021. He later flipped the phone’s orientation to show his face at the end of the video.