Parents of a toddler, Mexican grandfather among July 4 parade victims

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill., July 5 (Reuters) – A synagogue teacher, a Mexican grandfather, and the parents of a two-year-old found wandering alone after a deadly attack on a Fourth of July parade in a Chicago suburb were among the victims of the latest mass shooting in an American community.

Irina McCarthy, 35, and Kevin McCarthy, 37, were killed when a rooftop sniper fired on the July Fourth parade on Monday in which around 50 people also suffered gunshot wounds and other injuries, police and hospital officials said. read more

The toddler, Aiden, was separated from his parents in the ensuing chaos and was later returned to family members by police, according to a fundraising page.

“He will have a long road ahead to heal,” said Irina Colon, who organized the GoFundMe page with the family’s permission, adding that his grandparents would care for the boy.

The fund has raised over $425,000 so far.

Another victim was Nicolas Toledo, 78, visiting from Mexico when he was shot at the parade alongside relatives, some of whom were wounded but expected to survive, according to local media.

Jacki Sundheim, 63, a teacher at a Highland Park synagogue, also was killed, leaving behind a husband and daughter.

Other victims identified by authorities were Katherine Goldstein, 64, and Stephen Straus, 88. Details about them were not immediately available.

Thirty nine people were taken to hospitals run by NorthShore University HealthSystem, ranging in age from 14 to in their 70s, said spokesman Jim Anthony. Nine remained hospitalized.

A 69-year-old man, was in critical condition with a gunshot wound.

Nine people were treated by Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, six for gunshot wounds, three for falls, said spokesman Christopher King. Four remain hospitalized, with their conditions ranging from good to fair.

Among those wounded were pre-school teacher Zoe Kolpack and her husband as they sat watching the parade with their two young children, who were unharmed, according to a fundraising page.

Kolpack’s father and brother-in-law also were shot, according to a statement by the page’s organizer, Samantha Whitehead, a friend of Zoe Kolpack.

“They are all in the hospital undergoing various surgeries,” Whitehead said.

Additional reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington, Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico, and Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, Calif; Editing by Aurora Ellis and Bill Berkrot

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