After the massacre in Chicago, the two-year-old was found wandering alone: "Will have to navigate life as an orphan"
Aidan's father and mother, who are among the victims of the deadly shooting, were killed on July 4 at Highland Park in Illinois.
Irina McCarthy, 35, and Kevin McCarthy, 37, were shot to death by 22-year-old Robert Crimo, who was standing on a rooftop and opened fire at the Independence Day parade.
News agencies
06/07/2022
Wednesday, 06 July 2022, 11:09 Updated: 12:07
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In the video: Documentation of shooting in the 4/7 parade in Chicago - at least 6 dead, suspect arrested (Photo: Reuters and documentation on social media)
Among the victims of the Independence Day massacre in Chicago are the father and mother of a two-year-old toddler, Aidan, who was found wandering alone in the arena.
His parents, 35-year-old Irina McCarthy and 37-year-old Kevin McCarthy, were shot to death by 22-year-old Robert Crimo, who was standing on a roof and opened fire at the town's Independence Day parade.
Aidan, who is now being cared for by his grandmother, was separated from his parents during the shooting.
Dana and Greg Ring, a couple who were at the scene at the time of the attack, told CBS they found him with a foreign woman.
"We took the little boy. I held him in my arms," Greg said.
He described the arena as a "massacre."
"Aidan remains in an inconceivable position: to grow up without his parents," read the "Go Fund Me" page set up for him.
"A long way ahead for him to recover, to find stability and eventually navigate an orphaned life. He is surrounded by a community of friends and family who will embrace him with love, and many means to ensure he has everything he needs to grow."
Irina's father, Mike Lowberg, told the Chicago Sun-Times that Kevin died while protecting his son.
"He was lying on Aidan when he was shot," Weberg said.
Hours later, Weberg picked up Aidan from Highland Park Police Station and the toddler told him, "Mom and Dad are coming soon."
"They were crazy about their son," Lowberg added.
"They wanted two children."
Irina and Kevin attended De Paul University in Chicago.
Joe Nolan, Kevin McCarthy's manager, said he would be remembered as an "outstanding employee" at Jaguar Gene Therapy.
"Aside from work, he was a proud father and a devoted husband who admired his family. We will miss him very much," Nolan told NBC.
Dedicated parents.
Kevin and Irina McCarthy (Photo: Official Website, Gopandami)
88-year-old Stephen Strauss and 64-year-old Katherine Goldstein
Another victim in the shooting is 88-year-old Stephen Strauss, a "respectable man" who has worked hard all his life.
Strauss was a financial advisor and father of two who traveled every day by train to an office at a brokerage firm in Chicago.
In a statement, Benno said he was a "curious person about the world" and a "product of the city of Chicago."
His niece, Cynthia, said he had a "tireless thirst for life."
Catherine Goldstein, 64, was also killed in the shooting.
Her husband, Craig Goldstein, told the New York Times that the couple had two daughters in their twenties.
He said Catherine and daughter Cassie were on their way to the parade for Cassie to meet with friends from school.
He added that Catherine loved playing with her daughters and dedicated her life to motherhood after leaving work in the 1990s.
"The amazing thing about Katie is that she never thought about her death. For me, it was a thought that occupied me. She never thought about it," Craig said.
The shooter is charged with seven counts of murder.
Robert Crimo (Photo: Reuters)
Seven charges of first-degree murder have been filed against Robert "Bobby" Crimo III, the shooter.
Illinois Attorney General Eric Rinehart said if Crimo is convicted, he is likely to receive a life sentence without pardon.
A massacre in Illinois killed at least seven people and injured 36 were evacuated to hospitals, according to Mayor Nancy Ruttering.
Ruttering said the community of 30,000 people is still in shock from Monday's attack.
"This tragedy was not her need to reach our doorstep," she told NBC News.
"As a small town, everyone knows someone who is directly affected by it, and of course we are all still shocked," she added.
Crimo was captured after a lengthy manhunt for him.
Investigators of the incident revealed that he may have planned the attack "for weeks" and wore women's clothing during the shooting to hide his identity and his face tattoo.
Ruttering said she knew the suspect when he was a little boy in the Scouts and she was an instructor.
"What happened? How did someone become such an angry and hateful person?" She wondered.
She added that the shooter's semi-automatic rifle was legally purchased.
"Our nation needs to hold a hearing on the events of these two weeks in which dozens of people were killed with legally obtained weapons," she said.
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