Highland Park couple's security camera captured July 4th massacre suspect just after bullets stopped
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (CBS) -- A picture put a face to Highland Park mass shooting suspect Bobby Crimo seconds after the bullets stopped flying.
On Friday, the Highland Park couple who own the surveillance camera told CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey about the moment they realized what they had.
Hal and Geri Emalfarb said they knew right away that their cameras had captured the shooter. They own a building on Green Bay Road, steps from where investigator say the suspect fired 83 rounds into a July 4th parade crowd.
"The rifle dropped out of his blanket," said Geri Emalfarb. "He turned around to look where it was and, when he turned around, he looked up — and there's the camera.
Geri never imagined her family's event space on Green Bay Road would play such a crucial role in this investigation. She was in the 4th of July Parade that day.
Waiting for her on the route was her husband, Hal.
"All of a sudden, 'Pop, pop!' and then you realize you're now involved in an active shooting," said Hal.
"We saw hordes of people running towards us screaming: 'Shooter, shooter, shooter! Run, run, run!'" added Geri.
Hal, a former chairman of Downtown Highland Park, went to check the surveillance cameras on his building. He knew what he had when he saw it.
"We knew basically it was kind of a strange looking person that obviously had it - so we guessed that was him," he said.
Geri remembers seeing the image for the first time.
"It was spooky," she said.
Hal said according to the full surveillance video, which they have been asked to keep private to protect the integrity of the investigation, the shooter entered the alley alongside the Emalfarbs' building at 10:07 a.m.
Police say the shooting took place at 10:14 a.m. The snapshot of the suspect was captured at 10:14:57 a.m.
"The police, they saw his face - they knew who he was," Geri said.
The person in the video was wearing headphones and women's clothing. Authorities said Crimo put on women's clothing to disguise himself.
The video shows him dropping a red blanket behind the building. Police say it that wrapped inside was the high-powered rifle.
The Emalfarbs said they are grateful for the quick-thinking investigators who put it all together, and grateful that their cameras were functioning.
Now, "HP Strong" – Highland Park Strong – is written in chalk on the side of their building.
"I'm a daughter of survivors - Holocaust survivors - and my mother's still alive," Geri said, "and I say to myself, you know what? People will rebuild."
The FBI took possession of that full surveillance video on Friday. Meanwhile, Central Avenue in downtown Highland Park is still a crime scene five days into the investigation.
The Emalfarbs wanted to stress just how much they appreciate all the law enforcement officers who have been working around the clock.