Madison mayor on potential attack
MATT: I’M MATT SMITH. RIGHT NOW ON “UPFRONT,” DEADLY PARADE SHOOTING. AND NOW THE GROWING CONNECTION TO WISCONSIN. THE PLOT UNFOLDING FOR A POTENTIAL SECOND ATTACK IN OUR STATE’S CAPITOL. DO YOU HAVE A NE NERVOUSNESS IN YOUR STOMACH? MAYOR JOHNSON: YES. MATT: MADISON’S MAYOR IS HERE WITH THE NEW DETAILS, THE NEW CALLS FOR ACTION, AND THE GROWING DEBATE ABOUT WHO’S CULPABLE. BALLOT BOX RULING. THE SUPREME COURT WEIGHING IN JUST WEEKS AHEAD OF THE PRIMARY. THE NEW REACTION, AND POLITICAL FALLOUT UNFOLDING AT THIS HOUR. AND THE PRESIDENT’S UPCOMING TRIP TO SAUDI ARABIA. NOW JUST DAYS AWAY. AND THE MAJOR MONEY ON THE LINE HERE IN WISCONSIN. >> TAKING ON THE ISSUES IMPORTANT TO WISCONSIN. THIS IS WISN.” MATT: HI, EVERYONE, THANKS FOR JOINING US. I’M MATT SMITH. THE INVESTIGATION STILL UNFOLDING THIS WEEKEND INTO THE DEADLY FOURTH OF JULY PARADE SHOOTING IN HIGHLAND PARK, ILLINOIS AND ITS GROWING CONNECTION TO WISCONSIN. THE ACCUSED GUNMAN, 21-YEAR-OLD ROBERT CRIMO THE THIRD BEING HELD WITHOUT BOND, FACING SEVEN COUNTS OF FIRST DEGREE MURDER. IN THE CHARGES PROSECUTORS SAY MAY NOT END THERE, INVESTIGATORS REVEALING NEW DETAILS ABOUT ROBERT CRIMO’S TRIP INTO WISCONSIN JUST HOURS AFTER THEY SAY HE STOOD ATOP A LOCAL BUSINESS IN HIGHLAND PARK AND FIRED AN ASSAULT RIFLE INTO THE CROWD. >> IT APPEARS WHEN HE DROVE TO MADISON, HE WAS DRIVING AROUND. HOWEVER, HE DID SEE A CELEBRATION IN MADISON AND HE SERIOUSLY CONTEMPLATED USING THE FIREARM IN HIS VEHICLE TO COMMIT ANOTHER SHOOTING. MATT: IN MADISON? >> IN MADISON. MATT: DID HE ADMIT TO ALL OF THAT? >> I DON’T WANT TO GET INTO SPECIFICS ABOUT WHAT HE SAID IN THE INTERVIEW AND WHAT HE ADMITTED TO OR NOT. MATT: THE FBI THIS PAST WEEK RECOVERING THE SUSPECTED GUNMAN’S PHONE AT THIS AUTO REPAIR SHOP IN MIDDLETON. >> SO I WALKED UP HERE JUST AFTER THEY SAID THEY FOUND IT. MATT: OWNER JIM LUND SHOWING US WHERE FBI AGENTS RECOVERED THE PHONE IN A PILE OF DIRT ON THE EDGE OF HIS PROPERTY. >> IT’S JUST UNBELIEVABLE AND KIND OF SCARY THAT HE WAS RIGHT HERE AFTER THAT WHAT WAS HE PLANNING ON DOING. WHO KNOWS. MATT: THE FBI STILL INVESTIGATING HIS HOURS IN WISCONSIN. WE MET MADISON’S MAYOR, SATYA RHODES-CONWAY, NEAR THE CAPITOL. HAVE YOU LEARNED ANYMORE ABOUT THE SUSPECTED GUNMAN’S TIME HERE IN THE CITY AND WHAT THAT LOOKED LIKE? MAYOR RHODES-CONWAY: WE DON’T HAVE A LOT OF DETAILS, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THE FBI IS LOOKING AT AND TRYING TO ESTABLISH A TIMELINE AND WHAT HE WAS DOING WHEN. WE DID GET NOTIFIED VIA THE FBI AND LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT HE WAS POTENTIALLY IN MADISON. OF COURSE, WE MOBILIZED TO SUPPORT THE FBI. WE WERE WAITING FOR MORE DIRECTION FROM THEM. I THE TIME THAT CAME, IT WAS — THEY ALREADY ARRESTED HIM AND HIGHLAND PARK, WHICH WAS A RELIEF FOR US. AND I GUESS FOR EVERYONE CONCERNED. I’M NOT ABLE TO SHARE ANYTHING MORE ABOUT DETAILS AT THIS POINT, BUT I KNOW THAT THE FBI IS LOOKING INTO IT. MATT: IS IT FAIR TO SAY YOU HAVE LEARNED MORE DETAILS AND THE FBI CAN SHARE THEM PUBLICLY? MAYOR RHODES-CONWAY: JUST A FEW MORE THINGS WE ARE NOT ABLE TO SHARE YET. MATT: ON MONDAY NIGHT, FBI NOTIFIED YOU IN A SHORT WINDOW BETWEEN MOBILIZATION AND HIS ARREST. WEATHER CONVERSATIONS AND PLANS IN PLACE FOR THE WHAT IF HE IS STILL HERE AND HAS A WEAPON? MAYOR RHODES-CONWAY: THE UNFORTUNATE THING IS THAT WE PLANNED FOR THIS ON A REGULAR BASIS. AND NOT JUST THE CITY OF MADISON , MADISON POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS, BUT OTHER INSTITUTIONS HERE IN MADISON. WE HAVE DRILLS. WE DO TABLETOP EXERCISES. BELIEVE ME, WE WILL BE DOING MORE OF THEM. BUT, TO ME, THAT IS THE SAD FACT OF TODAY IS THAT WE ARE TRAINING, WE ARE PLANNING, WE ARE PREPARING OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT FOLKS, THINKING ABOUT LARGE EVENTS AND STAFFING NEEDED FOR THEM. AND WILL WE DO MORE OF THAT NOW? YES, OF COURSE. MATT: GIVEN WHAT AUTHORITIES HAVE TOLD US AND WHAT YOU KNOW, HOW CLOSE WAS THIS CITY TO HAVING THIS ALLEGED GUNMAN STOP AND GET OUT OF HIS CAR AND START SHOOTING? MAYOR RHODES-CONWAY: I THINK WE WERE VERY CLOSE, AND I THINK THE IDEA THAT THE ONLY THING STANDING BETWEEN MADISON AND A MASS SHOOTING WAS THE MINDSET OF THE SHOOTER IS VERY SCARY. THAT SHOULD NOT BE OUR ONLY PROTECTION. MATT: IT IS NO SECRET YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE ASSAULT RIFLES BAND ACROSS THE STATE AND COUNTRY. — BANNED ACROSS THE STATE AND COUNTRY. IS THIS MORE OF A SIGN OF RED FLAG LAWS NOT USED PROPERLY AND IF THE PROPER PROCEDURES WERE PUT IN PLACE, WITH THE GUNMEN HAVE HAD A GUN IN THE FIRST PLACE — WOULD THE GUNMAN HAVE HAD A GUN IN THE FIRST PLACE? MAYOR RHODES-CONWAY: THIS IS A CASE WHERE I THINK YOU NEED MULTIPLE SOLUTIONS AND BARRIERS TO SOMEONE THIS DISTURBED AND ANGRY, GETTING A WEAPON THAT CAN KILL DOZENS OF PEOPLE. YES, SHOULD THERE BE STRONGER RED FLAG LAWS? ABSOLUTELY. SHOULD THERE BE IN ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN? ABSOLUTELY. SHOULD WE BE THINK ABOUT BETTER ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH CARE? ABSOLUTELY. SHOULD WE BE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT AND CATCH PEOPLE WHO HAVE THESE EXTREME OPINIONS AND PREDILECTION TO VIOLENCE BEFORE THEY GET THERE? ABSOLUTELY, BUT THERE IS NOT ONE THING THAT IS GOING TO SOLVE THIS IN AMERICA. WE NEED A WHOLE SERIES OF COMMON SENSE GUN SAFETY LAWS, AND IT HAS TO HAPPEN AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. MATT: YOU ACKNOWLEDGE, I’M ASSUMING, THE WEAPON BAN AT A FEDERAL LEVEL SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE? MAYOR RHODES-CONWAY: UNFORTUNATELY. I DON’T SEE A PATH TOWARDS THAT, BUT I HOLD OUT HOPE THAT AT SOME POINT THE PEOPLE WHO OPPOSE SUCH A THING WILL COME TO THEIR COLLECTIVE SENSES BEFORE MORE PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE IN OUR COMMUNITIES. MATT: THE SUSPECT’S FATHER NOW PUSHING BACK ON ANY ACCUSATIONS OF CULPABILITY AFTER SPONSORING HIS SON’S APPLICATION FOR A GUN PERMIT. ILLINOIS STATE POLICE SAY THEY’RE INVESTIGATING. PROSECUTORS NOT RULING OUT THE POTENTIAL FOR CRIMINAL CHARGES. >> I DON’T WANT TO COMMENT ON THAT, I DON’T WANT TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF WHAT OUR WORK CONTINUES TO BE TO LOOK AT ALL OF THE INFORMATION AND EVIDENCE IN THIS CASE. MATT: DAN ADAMS IS A CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY AND FORMER PROSECUTOR. DAN, GOOD TO SEE YOU. WELCOME BACK TO THE SHOW. HOW LIKELY IS IT FROM EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE SEEN THAT THE FATHER COULD FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES GIVEN WHAT INVESTIGATORS AND PROSECUTORS HAVE SEEMED TO LAY OUT THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS? DAN: I DON’T THINK IT IS LIKELY. THERE IS A CRIMINAL LAW THAT WE CANNOT GO BACK IN TIME AND YOU THOUGHT POLICE WHAT SOMEONE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN ABOUT SOMEONE ELSE’S ACTIONS. GENERALLY, IF HE AIDED OR ABETTED OR CONSPIRED IN ANY WAY WITH HIS SON, KNOWING HE WAS GOING TO DO THIS ATROCIOUS ACT, HE WOULD HAVE CRIMINAL LIABILITY. BUT A BAD FEELING, A LITTLE SUSPICION, THAT ITSELF DOES NOT RISE TO THE LEVEL OF CRIMINALITY. MATT: WE SAW A CASE IN MICHIGAN, AND SO, THE PARENTS OF A SCHOOL SHOOTER FACING INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER THEMSELVES, THE PARENTS. HERE IN WISCONSIN, UNDER CURRENT LAWS, COULD THERE BE SIMILAR CHARGES IN A SIMILAR INCIDENT? DAN: UNFORTUNATELY, NO. THE MICHIGAN CASE IS INTERESTING BECAUSE THAT WAS A MINOR, AND THAT MINA REPEATEDLY EXPRESSED THAT HE WANTED TO DO SOME REALLY BAD THINGS — THAT MINOR REPEATEDLY EXPRESSED THAT HE WANTED TO DO SOME REALLY BAD THINGS. THEY HAVE A NEGLIGENCE THEORY UNDER THEIR MANSLAUGHTER LAW. HERE IN WISCONSIN, WE DON’T HAVE ANYTHING LIKE THAT. YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO A MINOR COMMITTING A CRIME. THAT IS A CRIME FOR AN ADULT TO DO, BUYING A GUN FOR A MINOR THAT IS GOING TO USE IT UNSUPERVISED IS COMMUNAL HERE IN WISCONSIN, AND HAVING A SUBSCRIPTION OR A BAD FEELING ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON OR REPORTING IT IS NOT A CRIME. MATT: IF PROSECUTORS DECIDE TO FILE CHARGES, HOW MUCH OF OUR PRECEDENTS WILL THAT CASE SET AND HOW CLOSELY WILL BE WATCHED? DAN: ALL OF US ARE SO OUTRAGED. WE WANT SOMEONE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. I THINK WITH THE ELECTED PROSECUTORS DOWN THERE AND THE GOVERNOR WANTS PRESSURE TO BE PLACED ON THE PARENTS AND MAYBE THIS WILL BE A TEST CASE IN TERMS OF THE SUCCESSFUL PROSECUTION. I JUST DON’T SEE IT AT THIS JUNCTURE. MATT: DAN EVANS, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. COMING UP, THE WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT RULING. THE FUTURE OF BALLOT DROP BOXES IN WISCONSIN. THE NEW REACTION AND ANALYSIS NEXT.
Madison mayor on potential attack
Updated: 9:30 AM CDT Jul 10, 2022
Highland Park suspect considered second attack in Madison
Highland Park suspect considered second attack in Madison
