C T Online Desk: A man accused of opening fire on a Fourth of July parade near Chicago contemplated a second attack after the deadly shooting, authorities say.
According to police, the 21-year-old suspect drove for more than two hours to Wisconsin after the shooting, which left seven dead and dozens wounded.
He saw another Independence Day celebration there and allegedly considered attacking it, police said.
During a court hearing, prosecutors also said he confessed to the shooting.
At Wednesday’s court appearance, a judge ruled that the suspect, Robert Crimo, would be held without bail and assigned a public lawyer.
At a news conference following the hearing, police said investigators had determined that Mr Crimo attempted to dump his phone in Madison, Wisconsin after the Monday morning attack in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park.
Police said the gunman told them he had disguised himself as a woman so he could escape Highland Park alongside fleeing residents.
In the brief hearing, Assistant State Attorney Ben Dillon said surveillance video showed the suspect leaving the area and dumping a rifle. He then took his mother’s car and drove about 150 miles (240 km) north-west to Madison.
Madison’s police chief said in a news conference that the FBI called around 17:00 local time (22:00 GMT) on Monday to request that the force mobilise its SWAT team due to the suspect being in their area.
But before the tactical team was ready, the police learned that the suspect had been caught.
According to Mr Dillon, the gunman then confessed after being caught, telling police he “looked down his sights, aimed, then opened fire at people across the street”.
If convicted, the seven murder counts the suspected gunman currently faces would carry a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. Dozens more charges are expected before the investigation ends.
Prosecutors said on Wednesday that 83 spent shell casings, as well as rifle magazines, were recovered from the scene of the shooting.
The new information comes as questions are being raised over how the suspect was able to buy guns.
He passed background checks meant to prevent potentially dangerous individuals from buying weapons, even though he had previously made threats that were reported to authorities.
Three other firearms were also found at his home. Police said the suspect had two prior contacts with law enforcement but was still able to purchase five guns in the past year.
In April 2019, police were called to the suspect’s home one week after he reportedly attempted to take his own life. And in September 2019, police were called by a family member who said he had made violent threats to “kill everyone”.
