July 4 shooter: Chicago suspect fled the scene in women’s clothes and planned attack for weeks, police say

The 21-year-old shooter allegedly disguised himself in women’s clothing before fleeing in his mother’s car

The July 4 shooter at Chicago's Independence Day parade is said to have been for planning his attack for weeks and is also thought to have fled the scene by dressing in women's clothes, US police say. Christopher Covelli, leader of the Lake County Major Crime Task Force, the shooter - who has since been identified as rapper Robert Crimo - put on women's clothing to blend in with the crowd and used his mother’s car to escape the scene of the crime. The 21-year-old Spotify and YouTube rapper was arrested on Tuesday following a police chase that ended in his surrender. While initially labelled as a person of interest, local authorities now believe he is responsible for the shooting which left six dead and more than 30 injured in Highland Park, Illinois. https://twitter.com/BronaghTumulty/status/1544114271315001350?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1544114271315001350%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.joe.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fhighland-park-shooter-robert-crimo-rapper-awake-15k-spotify-346116 In a press conference, Covelli told news outlets that Crimo "blended right in with everybody else as they were running around, almost as if he was an innocent spectator as well", adding that he remains in custody and there are currently no indications he was acting with anyone else. The shooter is reported to have fired more than 70 rounds into the crowd from a roof using a high-powered assault rifle similar to an AR-15, which is widely available across America and has been used in several mass shootings. Crimo also had a similar rifle in his mother's car, which he was driving when taken into custody by police, not to mention owning several other guns at his home - all of which were bought legally in Illinois. The rifle he left at the scene of the parade shooting is said to have been the key piece of evidence in tracking him down.

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