Police Detail Prior Contacts With Highland Park Parade Shooting Suspect

The prior contacts both occurred in 2019

The suspect in the Highland Park Fourth of July parade mass shooting had two prior contacts with police, including one domestic incident in which a family member reported he said he was “going to kill everyone,” according to officials.

Lake County Major Crimes Task Force spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli during a news conference said the suspect’s prior contacts with Highland Park police occurred first in April 2019 and then in September 2019.

In the April 2019 contact, someone contacted police a week after the suspect attempted suicide.

“This was a delayed report so Highland Park still responded to the residence a week later … and the matter was being handled by mental health professionals at that time,” Covelli said. “There was no law enforcement action to be taken. It was a mental health issue and handled by those professionals.”

The second contact occurred in September 2019 when police responded to the residence after a family member reported that the suspect said “he was going to kill everyone,” Covelli said.

“The police removed 16 knives, a dagger and a sword from … [the] home. At that time, there was no probable cause to arrest. There were no complaints that were signed by any of the victims,” Covelli said. “The Highland Park Police Department, however, did immediately notify the Illinois State Police of the incident.”

Covelli said that there was no information the suspect possessed any guns at the time of the prior contacts, adding that the suspect is believed to have legally purchased the firearms used in the shooting in Illinois between 2020 and 2021. There was no probable cause to detain or involuntarily commit the suspect at the time of the 2019 incidents, Covelli said.

The suspect in the mass shooting at the Highland Park, Illinois Fourth of July parade disguised himself and blended in with the panicking crowd after firing more than 70 rounds at bystanders, Christopher Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office revealed Tuesday.

Seven people were killed and dozens more were injured when a gunman took up a position on the roof of a building and fired more than 70 rounds at an Independence Day parade on Monday.

Click here for more updates on the Highland Park parade mass shooting.