The United States is yet again grappling with more gun violence. This time, a shooting at a Fourth of July Parade in Highland Park, Chicago. One of the saddest stories to come out of this tragic event is that of 2-year-old Aiden McCarthy. Strangers found him trapped underneath the body of his father after the shooter killed both of his parents.
2 Year Old Boy Found Under Body Of His Father In Highland Park Shooting
What was supposed to be a fun way to celebrate the Fourth of July in the Highland Park community in Chicago turned into a massacre. Minutes after the parade started, 21-year-old Robert E. Crimo III climbed up onto the rooftop of a nearby business and opened fire on the crowd. He then dressed himself in women’s clothing to blend in with the crowd and walked to his mother’s house. He is responsible for killing seven people and wounding many more. (1)
Two of those victims were married couple Irina and Kevin McCarthy. Crimo killed both of them in his rampage – but not their two-year-old son, Aiden. Strangers found little Aiden underneath the body of his father, who it seems used his body as a shield to protect his son.
The Chaotic Aftermath
Lauren Silva was with her boyfriend and his son the morning of the parade. They were not actually attending the festivities, rather, they were on their way to have breakfast. That’s when the shooting broke out and the chaos began. It was her boyfriend’s son who spotted Aiden underneath his father’s body.
Silva says she picked him up from beneath his dad. Aiden kept asking her if his parents were okay and when they were coming back. She was trying to comfort him when she realized that his father was dead. Silva then began to shake uncontrollably – she was having a panic attack.
“I could feel my insides start to shake. I went behind their car and I could feel the beginning part of a panic attack. I was not holding Aiden. so I went behind the car.” she explained. (2)
When she felt the attack coming on, she knew she wasn’t fit to be taking care of a lost and recently orphaned little boy. It was then that she handed Aiden to another set of strangers. Those strangers were Greg Ring and his wife.
Hours To Locate Aiden’s Family
Greg says he, his wife, and their three children had fled the scene and were behind a popular pancake house when he saw Silva. He describes her as a stunned, speechless woman carrying a little boy that was covered in blood.
“We kind of met eyes and didn’t say anything…. I put my arms out, and she gave him to me,” he recalled. (3)
He says she then laid down behind a car in shock. The little boy, meanwhile, kept saying “mommy, daddy” and pointing towards the parade route. Ring took Aiden with his face tucked down to shield him from the scene to try and find his parents. The police, however, told them to turn back because there was still an active shooter on the loose.
He and his family took Aiden to the fire station, where they explained the situation. The authorities told them to take care of the boy for now, because they were still helping the wounded and searching for the shooter.
The Rings took Aiden with them to Greg’s in-laws’ house, where he watched Mickey Mouse with their four-year-old. Aiden asked them to wipe him off because he had blood on him that wasn’t his. A few hours later, they were able to identify the boy and reunite Aiden with his grandparents.
Now An Orphan
The authorities were able to reunite Aiden with his mom’s parents in the hospital. Friends of the family say that it is his grandparents who will now be raising him. Family friend Irina Colon created a GoFundMe page for Aiden, who now has a much tougher life ahead of him.
“Aiden … will have a long road ahead to heal, find stability, and ultimately navigate life as an orphan. 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,” she wrote on the page.
The fundraiser has now raised over $3 million and is still accepting donations.
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Sources
- “What we know about the Highland Park shooting suspect.” CNN. Dakin Andone, Steve Almasy and Curt Devine. July 7, 2022.
- “‘I had to do exactly what I did:’ Woman helped rescue 2-year-old boy whose parents were killed in Highland Park parade massacre.” CBS News. Jackie Kostek. July 7, 2022.
- “Strangers save a 2-year-old boy, whose parents died during the Highland Park shooting.” NPR. Associated Press. July 6, 2022.