We don’t know a great deal more about the perpetrator of the murders in Highland Park yesterday than we did yesterday evening. A shooter armed with an “assault rifle” gained access to a rooftop in downtown Highland Park, a prosperous northern suburb of Chicago, using an unsecured exterior access and fired randomly into the crowd of people assembled for the Highland Park 4th of July parade, killing 6 and injuring 31 others. Law enforcement quickly focused on Robert “Bobby” Crimo, known professionally as “Awake the Rapper”, a resident of Highland Park. Awake the Rapper had one minor hit in 2018.
Investigators have only just begun to piece together the motive and method of this murderous rampage.
Police said the 22-year-old suspect was “known to law enforcement…†One question that will be asked in the days to come: Were they aware of the violent videos have been online for many months?
There is no word yet on whether the firearms found at the scene can be connected to the shootings or whether that firearm can be traced to Mr. Crimo.
Its not illegal to have “violent” videos. Look at our movies and video games. If law enforcement knew about them what were they supposed to do? Its perfectly legal to own guns if you also make violent videos. In most states now this guy can open carry a rifle (pre-shooting) anywhere he wanted to carry it except for a few excepted places like schools and courthouses. Just like every other shooting nothing will happen.
Steve
That’s precisely why I wonder what the authorities meant by “known to law enforcement”? As I see it there are several possibilities:
“Its not illegal to have “violent†videos.”
That’s not the point. It is easy to infer he is a troubled person.
This is the point: “If law enforcement knew about them what were they supposed to do?”
This is where the thorny issue of rights comes in.
Its not just rights but also practical abilities. There are millions of people every month who say we should kill all the politicians. There are many thousands, hundreds of thousands I bet, who publish violent videos by some definition. We have no ability to predict which of these people might act their videos. We dont have the ability to monitor all of those people.
Steve