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Fact check: False claim that Highland Park shooting was a Democratic-led operation

Sudiksha Kochi   | Paste BN

The claim: Democrats orchestrated the Highland Park shooting

After a gunman opened fire at a July 4 parade in Highland Park, Illinois, killing seven people and injuring dozens of others, some social media posts claimed Democrats orchestrated the attack.

One Facebook post shared July 4 shows five images of the Highland Park shooting suspect, 21-year-old Robert Crimo III.

"This is the shooter..Folks..this is CLEARLY another op by the Dems," reads the caption of the post. "He knew he was gonna do it, and covered his bases..Hence the Pepe shirt..They’re gonna try to come after us again." 

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The post generated over 600 interactions and 500 shares in less than a week. 

But the claim is baseless.

Authorities have indicated that Crimo acted alone. He also admitted to the shooting after he was arrested, and police have recovered Crimo's rifle left behind at the scene of the attack. 

Paste BN reached out to the social media users who shared the claim for comment.

The suspect acted alone

Paste BN, like other independent fact-checking organizations, found no evidence that Democrats or any other group orchestrated the Highland Park shooting.

Police said Crimo used a legally-purchased, high-powered rifle to open fire on the July 4 parade, and he disguised himself in women's clothing to blend into the crowd after the attack, Paste BN reported. Illinois Lake County State's Attorney Eric F. Rinehart said on July 5 that the shooting had been "a well-orchestrated and carefully planned crime."

Police recovered the rifle left behind at the scene of the shooting and another legally-purchased, high-powered rifle in Crimo's car. Other rifles in Crimo's possession were recovered from his residence.

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Crimo also "voluntarily admitted to the shooting to police when he was arrested several hours after the attack," Paste BN reported. Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff's Office in llinois said that "by all indications, it appears Crimo was acting by himself."

No law enforcement or media reports have indicated he is part of a larger plot by the Democrats or anyone else.

Authorities have not yet discovered a motive for the attack. But they said Crimo had been reported to the police twice in 2019, Paste BN reported. In one of those incidents, police had confiscated a dagger, knives and a sword from his home, Covelli said.

Crimo has also posted violent YouTube videos that included scenes of shootings, NBC News reported.

City-, state- and federal-level Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris and Illinois Gov. Jay Robert "J. B." Pritzker, have denounced the Highland Park attack and offered support to the families of the victims.

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that Democrats orchestrated the Highland Park shooting. Authorities have indicated that Crimo acted alone. No media or law enforcement reports indicate a connection to coordination with any group, much less a particular political party.

Our fact-check sources:

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