HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — Several victims of the Highland Park Fourth of July parade mass shooting have filed lawsuits against the Illinois State Police, alleging it allowed the suspected shooter to obtain firearms.

Five lawsuits filed in the last month in the Illinois Court of Claims accuse the state police of having negligently approved Robert E. Crimo III’s gun ownership application in 2019 even though the Highland Park police had issued a “clear and present danger” alert against him months earlier.

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Crimo is charged with firing from a rooftop on July 4, 2022, killing seven people and wounding 48 others.

The state police – who won’t comment – have said the alert didn’t rise to the level of denying him a gun ownership card.

The lawsuits dispute that, saying the alert, prompted by a police house call, included details that showed Crimo was not fit to obtain guns.

“The atrocity carried out by Robert Crimo III was predictable and preventable, if only the Illinois State Police and its Firearm Services Bureau had followed their internal rules, laws, and code provisions that applied to dangerous individuals like Robert Crimo III,” according to a lawsuit filed by the family of Eduardo Uvaldo, who died in the shooting.

His family’s lawyer, Matthew Sims, said the “red flag should have been maintained and used to deny the shooter a FOID just weeks later. Instead, it appears the State Police did nothing with it.”

SEE MORE: Highland Park 4th of July parade returns 2 years after deadly shooting

Crimo applied for a gun ownership card when he was 19 and required the signature of his father, Robert Crimo Jr. The father pleaded guilty last year to misdemeanor charges of reckless conduct for signing the application, admitting that he knew his son was not fit to own a weapon.

According to the lawsuits, the red flag was prompted when Highland Park police responded to the Crimo household in September 2019. A family member had called police, claiming Crimo was suicidal and had threatened to “kill everyone,” the lawsuit states.

The police came and confiscated more than a dozen knives, a dagger and a sword. But they said the father told them the weapons were his, and the family denied that Crimo had threatened them and himself.

Three other similar lawsuits were filed by the firm Levin and Perconti on behalf of victims Zoe Kolpack, Stephen Kolpack and Michael Joyce. A fifth lawsuit, representing nearly 40 victims and relatives, was filed by the Romanucci & Blandin law firm.

In 2022, the same families filed suit in state court against Crimo, his father and gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson, which made the murder weapon.

The new lawsuits were filed in the Illinois Court of Claims, where people can sue state agencies for damages. The cases haven’t yet been given a hearing date, according to a spokesperson for the Illinois Secretary of State’s office, which oversees the court.

Shortly after the mass shooting, Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said there had been “insufficient basis” to deny Crimo III’s request for a firearm owners ID card – with family members denying his threats and no domestic violence order or court order restraining him from having a gun.

Days later, Kelly and Gov. J.B. Pritzker enacted an emergency rule for broader use of “clear and present danger” reports – aimed at barring applicants from receiving a FOID card or revoking a current card for those who exhibit violent or suicidal behavior.

The video in the player above is from an earlier report.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire – Copyright Chicago Sun-Times 2024.)

SPRINGFIELD: A former Illinois sheriff’s deputy pleaded not guilty to murder on Thursday, according to court documents, one day after he was fired, arrested and charged in the fatal shooting of a 36-year-old Black woman during a call for help at her home.

Sean Grayson, 30, fired three shots, striking Sonya Massey one time in the face as she ducked for cover behind a kitchen counter separating the two, according to court documents. The shooting followed a verbal exchange about a pot on the stove.

Massey, a mother of two teenagers, had called police regarding a suspected intruder in her Springfield home, said Ben Crump, the prominent U.S. civil rights lawyer representing the family. It is the latest in a running list of high-profile police killings of Black people, including George Floyd, Trayvon Martin and Roger Fortson, that Crump has counseled.

“While nothing can undo the heinous actions of this officer, we hope the scales of justice will continue to hold him accountable and we will demand transparency at every step,“ Crump said in a statement.

A grand jury indicted Grayson, who is white, on five charges, including three counts of murder in the first degree, one count of aggravated battery and one count of official misconduct. He was arraigned in Illinois’ Seventh Judicial Circuit Court on Thursday and pled not guilty to all charges. He was jailed until his next court date on August 26.

Grayson’s attorney, Daniel Fultz, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Grayson and another Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy were called to Massey’s home for a suspected prowler at 12:50 a.m. July 6. About 30 minutes later, Massey was shot.

According to the indictment, Massey had placed a pot of possibly hot water on the counter on Grayson’s instructions. Grayson was in the living room when he then drew his firearm and threatened to shoot Massey in the face, prompting her to put her hands in the air, say, “I’m sorry,“ and duck for cover behind a counter separating the two.

Grayson moved closer, yelled at Massey to put the pot down and opened fire, the document said. He then activated his body camera, though his partner’s camera was activated upon arriving on the scene. He is twice her size, according to court files.

Grayson did not render aid and discouraged the other deputy not to provide help. The second deputy, who was not named, stayed by Massey until medics arrived. She was pronounced dead at St. John’s Hospital.

The family has viewed body-camera footage, which officials plan to release on Monday with minimal redactions, according to State’s Attorney John Milhiser.

The shooting was investigated by the Illinois State Police. The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office said on Wednesday it fired Grayson after the investigation found he did not follow proper training and standards.

“With our badge we accept enormous responsibility, and if that responsibility is abused, there should be consequences,“ the office said in a post on Facebook.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said in a statement Massey deserved protection rather than being “gunned down.”

“My heart breaks for Sonya’s children, for her family and friends and for all who knew and loved her, and I am enraged that another innocent Black woman had her life taken from her at the hands of a police officer,“ he said.

The killing comes roughly two months after a Florida deputy shot and killed Fortson, a 23-year-old Black airman with the U.S. Air Force, at Fortson’s home in Fort Walton Beach. Eddie Duran, the deputy, was later fired amid an investigation into the shooting, though charges have not been filed.

MILWAUKEE (CBS) — As the Democrats sort out who their nominee will be—with pressure growing for President Biden to withdraw—Illinois’ Republicans are unbothered by whom former President Donald Trump faces come November.

At their breakfast Thursday—which ended with a rousing rendition of “God Bless America”—Illinois Republican delegates gave high marks for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. They thought vice presidential nominee JD Vance was a big hit.

They also think the disarray on the Democratic ticket is not a problem, but an opportunity. The delegates signaled total comfort and confidence with where things sit four months before the election.

With the increasingly likely scenario that Joe Biden will step aside, CBS News Chicago asked the GOP delegates what they think will happen—and what they would like to see happen—in the next few days as Mr. Biden makes his decision on whether to stay in this race.

U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-Illinois) said moving Vice president Kamala Harris to the top of the ticket is the most logical step if Mr. Biden withdraws.

“It’s going to be very hard for them not to move up the vice president. That will be very hard to sell if they don’t do that,” said Bost. “I don’t care which one they put up. Right now, Donald Trump is going to beat them. Donald Trump is going to beat them.”

Illinoi state Rep. John Cabello (R-Machesney Park) also said he former President Trump to win regardless of whom he faces.

“I don’t think President Trump really cares who the next nominee is if it’s not Joe Biden,” said Cabello. “I mean, I think you see right now that the country is ready for the change back to President Trump. I think he wins in a landslide no matter who it is.”

President Biden arrived at his Delaware home Wednesday night, where he is recuperating from COVID-19. He will be sidelined for at least a few days as he self-isolated.

Former President Barack Obama is now reportedly questioning if Mr. Biden is the right candidate to face Trump in November, according to the Washington Post. He is the latest high-profile Democrat to do so, as several national news reports also cite sources questioning the future of Mr. Biden on the ticket.

One name that has been talked about as a possible replacement on the Democratic ticket as president or vice president is Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. But on Thursday, Pritzker said he was sticking with Mr. Biden.

“Look, I am supporting the nominee of the Democratic Party that right now is our {resident Joe Biden. So I’ve been campaigning—I went to Ohio and Indiana last weekend to campaign for President Biden, Vice President Harris—so I’m going to continue to do that,” Pritzker said Thursday. “He’s apparently going to be our nominee. He’s chosen to be our nominee.”

CBS News on Thursday released brand-new polling data showing Trump with his biggest lead yet. He is now up five points nationwide—with 52% preferring him, compared to 47% for President Biden.

Meanwhile, former President Trump was set to speak at the last night of the convention Thursday. The Illinois delegation has noted the leader of the MAGA movement has been less animated and more relaxed than we have grown accustomed to, and they expect that to translate to a different style of speaking Thursday night—likely to be less firebrand Trump and more contemplative.  

“As all of you have seen over the last couple nights, what I noticed about President Trump—there’s a resolve about him; a reflectiveness as he sits in that box, and you never know how almost being assassinated can affect you, but it’s I think had a very positive effect on our party, and brought us together as I mentioned earlier,” said U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Illinois). “Tonight, I think we will see that in the speech, and I think it will be great for our party.”