A 2-year-old boy who was found at the scene of the Highland Park shooting lost both parents in the massacre that claimed the lives of 7 people in total.
Aiden McCarthy, was rescued by Lauren Silva who went out with her family on July 4th to get pancakes for breakfast.
Silva told the Daily Beast that Aiden was pinned under his father, who was unconscious.
“My boyfriend handed me this little boy and said he was underneath this father who was shot in the leg,” she said. She took the boy while her boyfriend and his son stayed behind to help the father. They hid in a garage for about 20 minutes.
Silva said the boy was still in diapers, had one shoe on, a few scrapes, and a sock that was fully covered in blood. While they were hiding Silva said he kept asking “if mom and dad are going to come back soon.”
She was later told that first responders were unable to stop the father’s bleeding and he died.
Silva said she handed off the boy to another family they hid in the garage with who said they would take him to the hospital where he was reunited with his grandparents.
On Tuesday, authorities confirmed that the boy’s parents, Irina and Kevin McCarthy were among the seven people who died in the shooting.
A GoFundMe was created on behalf of the family with their permission. Aiden will be raised by grandparents.
“At two years old, Aiden is left in the unthinkable position; to grow up without his parents,” the campaign reads. “He is surrounded by a community of friends and extended family that will embrace him with love, and any means available to ensure he has everything he needs as he grows.”
The other victims identified by The Lake County Coroner’s Office include Katherine Goldstein, 64, of Highland Park; Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63, of Highland Park; Stephen Straus, 88, of Highland Park, and Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78, of Morelos, Mexico, according to the Hill.
The gunman, Robert “Bobby” E. Crimo III, 22, was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder on Tuesday. If convicted, he would receive a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole.
