The parents of a twoyearold boy, found alone and covered in blood, are among seven victims of a shooting near the city of Chicago, United States.
Irina McCarthy, 35, and Kevin McCarthy, 37, died after the gunman opened fire from the top of a building at people watching a July 4th parade in the town of Highland Park.
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The couple’s son, Aiden, was unharmed and is being cared for by his grandparents. Relatives and friends pay tribute to the boy’s parents and other victims of the attack.
2 of 3 Nicolás Toledo loved fishing, painting and walking in the park — Photo: Family Photo/GoFundMe/Via BBC
Nicolás Toledo loved fishing, painting and walking in the park — Photo: Family Photo/GoFundMe/Via BBC
According to the New York Times, Lauren Silva found Aiden covered in blood under a dying man. While Silva’s fiancée desperately tried to administer first aid to the victim, she hugged the boy, who kept asking about his parents.
Other newspapers highlighted that several people tried to welcome and help the child. Dana and Greg Ring told CBS TV that they found the child with a person who was “trembling.” “We took the boy and I hugged him,” said Greg Ring, who described the scene of the attack as “carnage.”
A donation page has been set up to help Aiden and the account has already accumulated more than US$2.3 million (R$12.5 million). The fund, managed by family friends, will be used to “help the caregivers tasked with raising, caring for and supporting Aiden.”
Aiden’s father Kevin was described as a “model employee” by his boss, Joe Nolan, of Jaguar Gene Therapy, according to NBC.
“Out of work, he was a proud father, a devoted husband who adored his family. We will miss him terribly,” Nolan added.
Aiden’s mother, Irina, was born in Russia but lived with her family in Chicago. Her father, Michael Levberg, told the Chicago Sun newspaper that she attended DePaul University before working in the pharmaceutical industry.
Levberg called Irina, his only child, the “love of my life.” She added that Irina and her husband are “crazy about their child” and plan to have a second baby in the near future.
Another victim of the attack was Nicolás Toledo, 78, whom his granddaughter described as a “lovable” and “adventurous” man.
Toledo, who was from Morelos state, Mexico, visited his family after two years in north Chicago without being able to see relatives due to travel restrictions during the pandemic.
He was watching the parade surrounded by his family when the shooting started. Some of his relatives were injured, but not seriously, according to the family. Jacki Sundheim, who worked at the local North Shore Congregation Israel synagogue, also died in the attack.
3 of 3 One of the victims is Jacki Sundheim, who worked in a synagogue — Photo: Getty Images/Via BBC
One of the victims is Jacki Sundheim, who worked in a synagogue Photo: Getty Images/Via BBC
“There are not enough words to express our deepest condolences on Jacki’s death and our condolences to his family and loved ones,” the synagogue said in a statement.
The synagogue reported that she left behind a husband and a daughter.
The family of another victim, Stephen Straus, 88, described him as a “honorable man” who worked his whole life. A financial advisor and father of two, Straus took the train every day to work at a realtor in Chicago.
In a statement, his son said he was a man who was “curious about the world”. His niece Cynthia said her uncle had an “unquenchable thirst for life.”
Katherine Goldstein, 64, has also been identified as one of the dead. Her husband, physician Craig Goldstein, told the New York Times that she had two daughters in their 20s.
According to him, Katherine went to the parade with her eldest daughter Cassie, where the young woman would meet with friends. Craig added that Katherine stopped working in the 1990s to focus on her daughters.
Six people are said to have died in the attack on Monday. A seventh victim, who was in serious condition, died Tuesday (5) but has not yet been identified.