The father of a man charged in a deadly July 4 parade shooting in suburban Chicago pleaded guilty to seven misdemeanors Monday in a case about how his son obtained a gun license, reports the Associated Press. Robert Crimo Jr. entered the plea as his trial was about to start in Lake County court, in Waukegan, Illinois, and was sentenced by Judge George Strickland to 60 days in jail, starting next week. He had pleaded not guilty to seven counts of reckless conduct, one for each person his son, Robert Crimo III, is accused of killing in Highland Park on Independence Day last year.
In 2019, at 19, Crimo III was too young to apply for his own gun license, but he could apply with the sponsorship of a parent or guardian. His father sponsored his application, even though just months earlier a relative reported to police that Crimo III had a collection of knives and had threatened to “kill everyone.” Crimo Jr.'s attorney, George Gomez, had called the initial felony charges, which can carry a prison term of up to three years, “baseless and unprecedented.” Anti-gun violence advocates say they are encouraged that police and prosecutors are investigating anyone who may have contributed to the attack. Legal experts say criminal liability can be hard to prove against a shooter’s parent or guardian.
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