Robert Crimo, the man arrested in connection with the mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Illinois, previously posted several videos and images online that reflected a "desire to commit carnage," the town's mayor said Tuesday.
Interviewed on NBC's Today show, Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering was asked about the videos and images Crimo had shared online in past years.
"We know that several postings really reflected a plan and a desire to commit carnage for a long time in advance," she said. "But I'm hesitant, frankly...to talk about that. I don't want other people to think this is something that needs to be glorified. This is something that needs to be diminished."
Rotering's remarks came after videos and images posted on social media by Crimo, 22, were uncovered following Monday's shooting, in which six people were killed and dozens injured during a July Fourth parade. One of Crimo's videos, posted on YouTube, showed an image drawn on a computer that appeared to depict a person lying on the ground while another person begged for mercy, according to The Washington Post.
"I need to leave now, I need to just do it. It is my destiny. Everything has led up to this; nothing can stop me, not even myself," a voice can be heard saying during another of Crimo's videos, the Post reported.
The Daily Beast reported that in another video, Crimo can be heard rapping "f*** this world" while images show a man walking into a school armed with guns and armor.
Many of the videos and images posted by Crimo on social media have since been taken down.
On Monday night, the Lake County Sheriff's Office in Illinois said Crimo had been taken into custody as a "person of interest" in the shooting incident. The sheriff's office and the FBI assisted the Highland Police Department in responding to the shooting and arresting Crimo.
Newsweek reached out to the Highland Police Department for comment.
Rotering told the Today show that the gun used in the shooting was purchased legally.
"I don't know where the gun came from, but I do know that it was legally obtained," she said. "And I think at some point this nation needs to have a conversation about these weekly events involving the murder of dozens of people with legally obtained guns. If that's what our laws stand for, then I think we need to reexamine the laws."
Rotering also noted that Crimo was not previously known by police.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more
