Robert Crimo, faces seven counts of first-degree murder after Fourth of July incident

Robert Crimo, the suspect in the mass shooting at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois, was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder on Tuesday.

If convicted, he will face life in prison without the possibility of parole, Illinois state attorney Eric Reinhart said.

According to the police, Mr Crimo had planned an attack for weeks and fired more than 70 rounds randomly into the crowd watching the parade, killing seven and injuring more than three dozen people.

Police have also revealed new details about the attack, including the fact that the suspect was previously known to police after he made threats against his own family.

Investigators said at a Tuesday press conference that they had first encountered Crimo when he tried to take his own life in April 2019, prompting a call to authorities who treated the case as a mental health emergency.

Crimo was still in custody late Tuesday afternoon according to report.

However, an attempt to contact Crimo’s father, once a Highland Park mayoral candidate, were unsuccessful on Tuesday. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney representing him yet.