About three years before Robert “Bobby” Crimo III allegedly carried out his premeditated attack at a Fourth of July Parade, he attempted suicide with a machete, according to police records, the Daily Beast reports.
In an April 29, 2019, Highland Park Police incident report obtained by The Daily Beast, officers were called to Crimo’s house for a well-being check. During the check, officers learned the the 21-year-old was “known to use marijuana” and had a history of suicide attempts. One of those instances, which occurred a week prior to the call, was an “attempt to commit suicide by machete,” the report states. Months later, in September 2019, police were once again called to Crimo III’s family home after he allegedly threatened to “kill everyone” in his family while hoarding 16 knives, a dagger, and a sword. Despite the two run-ins with police, Crimo’s father sponsored his son’s gun-license application, which allowed him to buy several guns—including the one used Monday to kill seven people and injure dozens more at the Highland Park Fourth of July Parade.
Our Chazal teach us “Assur L’Histachel Bifnei Adam Rasha” – “It is forbidden to (intently) look at the face of a wicked person.”
When a news agency posts a news story with a picture of the story’s character, the intent of showing the picture is usually not that viewers should INTENTLY look at the picture. At the same time though, it is infinitely better if we do not even BRIEFLY SEE a picture of a wicked person. Especially a picture of this Mr. Crimo III, for he is in the realm of horrifically severe evil. Not only did he brutally murder seven totally innocent people, Hashem Yinakem Damam, he is also an extreme of extreme of extreme Toeiva guy. In fact, he was dressed in women’s clothes when he did the shootings!!