Highland Park Mass Shooting Person Of Interest Revealed To Be Chicago-Area Rapper

BYHayley Hynes8.8K Views
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Highland Park Shooting
78-year-old Nicholas Toledo was one of the six victims in today's mass shooting. RIP.

22-year-old Robert E. Crimo III has been taken into police custody after a mass shooting that left six dead and dozens injured in Highland Park today. As we reported earlier, he was named a person of interest in connection with the tragic incident, and now, we know that he's also a recording artist who works in the Chicago area.

As Deadline reports, the rapper (whose musical alias has not been disclosed) featured crude and violent imagery in his videos, such as a stick-figure animation of a man firing a gun at people, and later laying face-down in a pool of blood.

Highland Park Mass Shooting Person Of Interest Revealed To Be Chicago-Area Rapper
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"I just want to scream / F*ck this world / Livin' the dream," the accompanying lyrics go.

It's also been noted that Crimo has an IMDb page that lists him as the writer, director, composer, producer, and actor in a pair of controversial music videos, one of which seemingly finds him re-enacting a school shooting.

"He is seated at a desk and reaches into his backpack; the screen goes dark, and a gunshot-like sound is heard. When the video returns, he is on his knees and falls to the floor. Maniacal laughter is heard, he drops shell casings from his hands and rubs against an American flag," Deadline describes the eerie visual.


The 22-year-old reportedly has 30 songs posted on Spotify, and 223 accounts follow his fan club on Facebook. 

Crimo is said to have been taken into custody "without incident," and footage of his interaction with police has been shared with the public. 

As Hollywood Unlocked reports, we've also found out the identity of one of the six victims killed in the Highland Park shooting – 78-year-old Nicholas Toledo. RIP.


Check back in with HNHH later for any further updates.

[Via]


About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the former Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, she stepped down after two years in 2024 to pursue other creative opportunities but remains on staff part-time to cover music, gossip, and pop culture news. Currently, she contributes similar content on Blavity and 21Ninety, as well as on her personal blog where she also offers tarot/astrology services. Hayley resides on the western side of Canada, previously spending a year in Vancouver to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald Centre and Journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary before that. She's passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, and shares much more about her life on Instagram @hayleyhynes.
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