Wednesday 6 July 2022 01:18 PM Lawyer for Highland Park shooter's parents claims 'there were no red flags' trends now

The lawyer for Highland Park shooter Bobby Crimo's parents has defended them, insisting there were 'no red flags' despite police being called twice to the family home, and blaming the massacre instead on gun laws that allowed the shooter to buy an AR-15 style rifle. 

Crimo's mother and father have not been charged but they have retained a lawyer in Steve Greenberg, a local man who railed against the shooting on Twitter on Monday before realizing that his friends' son was responsible for it. Crimo is being represented by two other attorneys from a different firm.

On Tuesday night, he appeared on "NewsNation to insist his clients Bob Crimo and Denise Pesina have done nothing wrong, and to deny claims by police that they were called to the family house twice in 2019. 

'I don’t think anyone’s ever aware of any red flags that make them think that their son is gonna go out in their own community and start shooting people. Had they seen any signs of it, I think they would have acted. They’re responsible parents,' Greenberg said. 

On Tuesday, police told how Crimo's father sponsored him for a FOID card - the license needed to buy a gun - in 2019 when he was 19. It was two months after an incident at the home where cops said they confiscated 16 knives, a dagger and a sword after Bobby threatened to 'kill everyone' in his family. 

Amid intense scrutiny of that decision to help his son buy a gun, the father's attorney said on Tuesday that police 'couldn't have been too concerned' because they returned the knives to Bobby two weeks later. 

'The police returned those knives to them two weeks after they took the knives. The police couldn't have been too alarmed. There was a dispute and the situation was resolved.

'The bigger issue is why does a 20 year old or 21 year old, why is he able to get a FOID card and purchase a military style weapon. That's the question we need to be asking not how did he get a FOID card when there were no red flags and it was perfectly lawful.' 

Scroll down for video 

He also disputed the account of the incident that the authorities made public yesterday. '

They've disputed that he was ever suicidal and that they ever claimed he was suicidal, and that he ever threatened to kill everyone. If he had, the police would have taken some action, placed him on a psychiatric watch. I'm not sure that's really what happened,' he said. 

Greenberg said the massacre was a tragedy 'all the way around', including for the shooter's parents. 

'Imagine waking up one day and knowing your loved one goes to a parade gets killed imagine knowing your child may never get out of jail. It's just a horrific tragedy all the way around for everybody involved.' 

He added that since the shooting, Crimo and his parents had spoken and that all were cooperating with police. 

'They expressed to him that they love him and he expressed that he loved them,' he said. 

On Twitter, Greenberg has railed against the Illinois State Police for approving the FOID card Crimo's father sponsored him for, however. 

'ISP should ask why did THEY approve a FOID card and why do THEY allow the sale of assault weapons?'  

On Tuesday night, Greenberg admitted that he had been a friend of the family for years. 

'I've known these folks for 30 years now, until very recently I was a resident of the community. My role is to advise them on the law and help them through this process. I know the parents and I have met the son, many years ago. It's a wonderful family.' 

On Monday, before he knew that Crimo was the shooter, he tweeted: 'This is my hometown where I grew up and raised my kids. WTF is wrong with people. No one needs these high powered weapons!!!!! F Ted Cruz, Mitch McConnell and all like them'. 

In September 2019, Illinois State Police received a 'clear and present danger' report related to Robert Crimo's family after he threatened to kill himself and his family. They removed knives from the property, but later returned those, The Chicago Sun-Times reported. 

Crimo, who was 19 at the time, was not arrested. He was two years under the legal age minimum to apply for the firearm owner’s identification (FOID) card needed to legally obtain a weapon.

" class="c8" scrolling="no"

But despite the murder-suicide threats, Crimo's father sponsored him for a FOID card in December 2019, and it was approved a month later, in January 2020.

Officials have since said they approved the permit because there was 'insufficient basis' to deem Crimo dangerous, with the only record on his file a 2016 ordnance violation for possession of tobacco.   

That meant Crimo was legally-able to buy the weapon used in Tuesday's massacre. 

He faces life in prison after being charged by the Illinois State’s Attorney’s office with seven counts of first-degree murder. Lake County State Attorney Eric Reinhart says Crimo faces 'dozens' of other charges related to the people he injured. 

Police at first said that Crimo was not known to them but on Tuesday, they revealed he was interviewed twice by authorities in 2019. 

The first was in April 2019 a week after he threatened to kill himself. The second was in September 2019, after he threatened to 'kill everyone' in his family. 

Police recovered 16 knives, a dagger and sword from his home but he was not arrested. 

Instead, he was able to turn 21 and buy two assault rifles in Illinois, along with three other types of gun. It remains unclear why the two previous incidents were not flagged when he legally purchased the weapons. 

'It’s just a tragedy all the way around. Imagine waking up one day and knowing that your loved one goes to a parade and gets killed. Imagine waking up one day and knowing that your child may never get out of jail.'

Durkin told DailyMail.com that he was first contacted by the suspect's family on the day of the shooting and retained the following day.

He added that he did not have any further knowledge about the shooting other than what is already in the public domain.     

The suspect's father Bob Sr. ran unsuccessfully for mayor against Nancy Rotering. Rotering ran on a platform that included promoting gun control. 

On Tuesday morning, Rotering confirmed that Crimo 'legally obtained' his weapon. She said she taught him when he was a cub scout, and that he was a normal 'little boy'. Police are yet to confirm what type of weapon he used, but witnesses and videos suggest it was a high-powered rifle. 

'It's one of those situations where you stand back and ask, what happened? How did somebody become this angry, this hateful, to then take it out on innocent people who were just literally having a family day out.? 

'He was just a little boy,' she said. 

 The charges were announced in a press conference by the Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart the day after the July 4 parade shooting that claimed the lives of seven people and injured dozens more. 

Each charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without the chance of parole. 

In his remarks, Rinehart said that Crimo could be facing nearly a dozen further charges, including assault and attempted murder. 

He said: 'These are the first of many charges.' 

During the press conference, Rinehart did not speculate on the motive for the shooting. 

The attorney did praise red flag laws and called for a nationwide ban on assault rifles.  

He added that when Crimo makes his first appearance in court via Zoom on July 6, prosecutors will be asking for the suspect to be held without bail.   

Speaking about the 2019 incidents, Chris Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff's Office disclosed the prior incidents at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. 

In the April 2019 incident, 'an individual contacted Highland Park

read more from dailymail.....