A trial is to begin for a man accused of murdering seven people during an Independence Day parade in Chicago.
Robert Crimo III is accused of perching on a roof in downtown Highland Park and shooting at crowds assembled for the 2022 parade.
Seven people died, including the parents of a toddler, and dozens were wounded.
The youngest victim was an 8-year-old boy who was left partially paralyzed.
Killed in the shooting were Katherine Goldstein, 64; Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63; Stephen Straus, 88; Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78; Eduardo Uvaldo, 69; and married couple Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35.
Jury selection will begin on Monday, following a number of delays.
That is partly due to Crimo’s erratic behavior, which has raised questions about what to expect at trial.
Witnesses described confusion as shots rang out at the parade, followed by terror as families abandoned the route.
Chairs and strollers were left behind as people sought refuge inside buildings.
City leaders canceled the parade the following year. However, it was reinstated in 2024 with a memorial for the victims.
Mayor Nancy Rotering has said the city does not want to be defined by the mass shooting. The parade will run once again in July 2025, but without fireworks, partly because of “community trauma.”
“This year’s parade theme reminds us that teams bring people together in support of a common goal, and that we are most resilient when we support each other,” Rotering said.
Crimo faces 21 counts of first-degree murder – three counts for each person killed – as well as 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery.
Prosecutors have turned over about 10,000 pages of evidence, as well as hours of a video-taped interrogation during which police say Crimo confessed to the shooting.
