Illinois shooting: Robert Crimo III confesses, judge denies bond

July 6 (UPI) -- Robert Crimo III confessed Wednesday to killing seven people in a shooting at a Fourth of July parade near Chicago.

Crimo made his first court appearance on Wednesday as a judge ordered him held without bond.

Lake County Major Crimes Task Force spokesman Chris Covelli later said that Crimo drove to Madison, Wis., after fleeing the scene in Highland Park, Ill., where he opened fire on the parade crowd from a nearby rooftop.

After leaving the murder weapon from the Highland Park shooting in an alley near the scene, Corvelli said Crimo was armed with a second rifle and 60 rounds of ammunition while in Wisconsin and "seriously contemplated using the firearm he had in his vehicle to commit another shooting in Madison" after coming across a celebration there.

However, he ultimately chose not to carry out an attack as he had not done any prior planning.

Crimo was arrested late Monday, a few hours after the shooting in Highland Park in which six people died at the scene and a seventh person died on Tuesday.

Prosecutors announced charges against the 21-year-old Crimo, a musician who went by the name Awake the Rapper.

On Wednesday, Crimo appeared via video before a court in Highland Park, a suburb north of Chicago. He was dressed in dark clothing and made no visible expressions as prosecutors explained the charges against him.

Lake County State Attorney Eric Rinehart asked at the hearing that Crimo be held without bond.

On Tuesday, Crimo was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder. Rinehart said Crimo will also face dozens of other charges related to the shooting.

At Wednesday's hearing, a judge also ordered a public defender for Crimo after the accused said he didn't have a defense attorney.

Prosecutors read the names of some of the victims during the bond hearing and gave some details of the shooting.

Authorities on Wednesday also identified a seventh victim, 69-year-old Eduardo Uvaldo.

Investigators are still piecing together elements of the attack, which occurred during the city's July 4th parade and sent families scurrying for cover.

Authorities told reporters on Tuesday that police had previous run-ins with Crimo, but never saw a sufficient basis to establish a clear and present danger. Crimo was granted a permit for his weapon and had passed four background checks in 2020 and 2021.

The Illinois State Police said Crimo's father, former Highland Park mayoral candidate Robert Crimo Jr., sponsored his son's gun application for a license in December 2019.

Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering has said that Crimo bought the gun legally in Illinois. Police found a second rifle inside his mother's vehicle, which he was driving when he was stopped by police and arrested.

Crimo had posted violent content on his social platforms that glorified violence and he incorporated that theme in some of his music.

Authorities have not publicly identified a motive for the shooting.