Gunman’s father may not be criminally liable, prosecutor says

Eric Rinehart, State’s Attorney for Lake County, Illinois, discusses the Highland Park July 4th parade shooting investigation with CNN’s Pamela Brown, including whether the suspected shooter’s father can be held responsible for his son’s actions. #CNN #News

70 comments

  1. MORE JUSTIFICATION!!!!!!!! HE SEEMS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE GUNS, THAN THE PEOPLE HIS SON, SLAUGHTERED!!!!!!!!!!!!

    1. @imdoghimim Your Not! But You Are Very, JUDGEMENTAL!!! AND IT COMES OFF AS, KINDA SNOBBISH!!!!!!!!

    2. @imdoghimim People, Trying To Restrict Freedoms, Is A Game To You!!!!!! I’m Not AMUSED, Myself!!!!!!!!!

    1. When a parent, relative vouch for someone when they co-sign to purchase a vehicle, etc. that person is RESPONSIBLE if the payment is not made.

    2. @shawntae h Bar tenders have been held liable if their drunk patron went and killed someone with their car. If a mechanical defect were proven to be the cause of a fatal accident manufacturers have been held to account.

      Not holding the father liable would make a mockery of co-signing. The law may as well say a complete stranger can co-sign. Why bother with co-signing at all if the co-signer carries no liability?

    3. @Lenard Segnitz those scenarios are different that’s part of their job description. I was just stating a fact that if you cosign for a car and that car un-alive someone, you will not be held liable. We are talking about cosigning and the responsibility when someone un-alive someone.

  2. Consequences of raising children with kid gloves resulting in them becoming problematic to everyone

    1. Consequences of signing for a gun for another person who isn’t responsible enough to even live on thier own.

  3. I think two things would help. 1. Have people buy firearms insurance like we do for driving. If we get in an accident, we pay. It should be the same with firearms. 2. If you vouch for your child or another person, you sign a waiver that says you will accept full responsibility for how they use that firearm, that you will be held criminally and civilly liable. THAT would help a great deal. People would think differently about those “red flags.”

    1. Both would negate the need for red flag laws. The people closest to the wanna-be gun owner would spend some time thinking about enabling that gun ownership. Insurers would insist on a psychiatric exam and character references before underwriting a policy.

    2. 2 great points! Have your guns, but take responsibility too. Your comment needs to be more far reaching than a YouTube vid. 👍

  4. This isn’t about systems not knowing. He was on a list that required his dad to vouch for him. When you cosign for a car, that is your responsibility too. Dad is legally responsible via civil if not criminally

    1. @Boris The German are you going to repeat that same stupid argument. That makes me so angry… Trust me you would not say that in front of my face… I would not need a car or a gun…

    1. Dad says kid has money to spend at a shooting range even though kid lives at home cause he has no money. Dad is lying.

    2. The depth of the father’s denial makes me imagine the father planned to kill by proxy. Son is troubled in the extreme yet his father thinks it’s okay for him to have a gun. Nah… the father knew full well his son would go off and kill when he co-signed.

  5. The father helped his ownership of the weapon. You DO NOT target shoot with a high power weapon.

    1. “High power weapon” lol. And many people target shoot with actual high power weapons.

  6. Crimo’s father is king of denial. He enabled his son at every opportunity. Sick parenting.

  7. A cosigner is responsible at least civilly regardless of age. If you sign on a lease for an adult who’s financials are questionable, you can be on the hook to honor the lease.

    1. If the father is let off the hook it will be a mockery of co-signing. Co-signing would lose all relevance. The son could just as easily got a complete stranger to co-sign.

    2. This is kind of a false equivalency. In that scenario you are only on the hook for the money due for the lease and not the person’s behavior.

  8. One of those most effective things to curb these shooting is to HOLD THE PARENTS RESPONSIBLE. Period.

  9. The police need to track where the money is coming from because obviously someone is providing the shooter money to get all these weapons into the house and I’m blaming the parents since the shooter lived under their roof. They knew he had weapons and they didn’t care what he did with them, they didn’t even want to give the shooter help so I blame the parents. Police were called to that house 22 times because the family has alot of problems including their own son. It also baffles me that the father cares more about protecting himself than feel sorry for the victims that his own son killed and injured on that day. If your child no matter what age he/she is you get them help you don’t wait until later until they stockpile weapons and go out and kill people or threaten family. Bad parenting on this family, they knew and did nothing.

    1. I’m not trying to be a jerk but how poor are we that we think a few grand is hard to earn or at very least borrow?

  10. Bull. The authorizing agency relied specifically on the father’s word, it was required to make the decision to give the child the gun. Criminal or Civil: The Dad is liable.

    1. The father is going to spend at least 10 years in prison right after his son is executed. Co-signing comes with responsibility… or there wouldn’t be any point to co-signing.

  11. If the father isn’t held liable what was the point of the co-signing? The whole point is that the co-signer is assuring authorities that nothing bad will happen, but if anything bad does happen authorities can come talk to him/her. That’s the whole point to co-signing bank loans. If the father is let off the hook the son may just as well have got a complete stranger to co-sign.

    1. He didn’t co sign anything. You are making things up. Why can’t people be bothered to get details correct before spouting off.

    1. Boy the same troll is responding here! Hey little boy, mommy call your bath time is ready! She put your favorite toys in the tubby!

  12. Is this prosecutor looking for a job in defending this offender.
    Love what this offender’s father told the NY Post — I didn’t do anything wrong.
    Seems, this father may have some difficulties around right and wrong.

    1. The prosecutor should be fired! And one put in place who will have the father arrested!

  13. In general,I don’t hold a father liable for son’s sins. But if he co-signed on gun acquisition—that’s different because he knew the son was deranged

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