/Crimo-Charged.jpg "Brooke and Matt Strauss, who were married Sunday, look toward the scene of the mass shooting in downtown Highland Park, Illinois.(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)")
On Tuesday, authorities accused the defendant in the Fourth of July parade shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, with seven charges of first-degree murder.
Robert Crimo, age 21, faces an automatic life sentence if convicted of the seven counts, one for each of the seven people he is accused of murdering.
At a press conference, Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart stated, "Today, the Lake County State's Attorney's Office has charged Robert Crimo III with seven counts of first-degree murder for the killing spree he unleashed against our community." These are merely the initial charges that will be brought against Mr. Primo.
Rinehart noted that his agency would likely bring further charges against Crimo, including attempted murder and aggravated violence.
"We will seek the maximum sentence against this offender in court." "Not because we seek vengeance, but because justice and the healing process require it," added Rinehart.
Four of the seven victims of the mass shooting, which occurred in a mainly Jewish Chicago suburb, may have been Jewish, according to Yinam Cohen, the Israeli consul general in Chicago.
