Vatican/Illinois - Pope Francis has decried the tragic shootings that killed six and wounded some 30 others during a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park on Monday, appealing for a rejection of all forms of violence, and a respect for life at all its stages.
The Holy Father did so in a telegram sent to the Archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Blase Cupich. In the telegram, sent on the Pope's behalf by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, he said he was "deeply saddened" to learn "of the senseless shooting" that took place in the US, and asked the Cardinal to convey his spiritual closeness to all affected by this attack.
"With unwavering faith that the grace of God is able to convert even the hardest of hearts, making it possible to depart from evil and do good,” Pope Francis prayed "that every member of society will reject violence in all of its forms and respect life in all of its stages."
The July 4 shooting marks the latest tragic shooting in the country, and takes place in the light of hundreds of others during 2022 that have plagued schools, churches, grocery stores and now community parades.
Shooting suspect due in court, slipped past Illinois "red flag" safeguards
The man charged with killing seven people at a Chicago-area July Fourth parade, was due to make his first court appearance on Wednesday to face seven first-degree murder charges. Robert, E. Crimo III, 21, also slipped past the safeguards of an Illinois "red flag" law designed to prevent people deemed to have violent tendencies from getting guns, officials revealed on Tuesday.
The disclosures raised questions about the adequacy of the state's "red flag" laws even as a prosecutor lauded the system as "strong" during a news conference announcing seven first-degree murder charges against Crimo.
Sergeant Chris Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said earlier in the day that Crimo had legally purchased a total of five guns, including the suspected murder weapon, despite having come to law enforcement's attention twice for behavior suggesting he might harm himself or others.
Later on Tuesday came a separate statement from the Illinois State Police recounting that the agency had received a report from Highland Park Police declaring Crimo a "clear and present danger" after the alleged threats against relatives in September 2019.
At the time, however, Crimo did not possess a state "firearm owners identification (FOID)" card that could be revoked or a pending FOID application to deny. So state police involvement in the matter was closed, the agency said.
Three months later, at age 19, Crimo applied for his first FOID card, under his father's sponsorship. But because no firearm restraining order or other court action against Crimo had ever been sought, "there was insufficient basis to establish a clear and present danger and deny the FOID application," state police said.
Crimo passed four background checks in the purchase of his guns, all of them conducted in 2020 and 2021, well after the 2019 incidents that drew police attention, according to the state police.
State police said the only offense detected in Crimo's criminal history during background checks was for unlawful possession of tobacco in 2016, and that "no mental health prohibiter reports" from healthcare providers ever surfaced.
A number of U.S. politicians in both parties have urged more widespread enactment and enforcement of "red flag" laws, which typically enable courts to issue restraining orders allowing authorities to confiscate firearms from individuals, or to prevent them from buying weapons, when they are deemed to pose a significant threat to themselves or others.
Congress last month passed a national gun reform bill including provisions to provide federal funding to states that administer red flag statutes.
-CNA/Reuters