Aiden McCarthy's photo was shared among social media groups in the Chicago area hours after the July 4 parade shooting at Highland Park. Alone in a bloody scene.
On Tuesday, friends and authorities confirmed that the boy's parents Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35, were among the seven who were tragically killed. did.
"At the age of two, Aiden is in an unthinkable position. He grows up without parents," Irina Colon created for her family and AidenGoFundMe. I am writing to my account. I met her grandparents again on Monday night.
A friend of McCarthys said Irina's parents would take care of the future boy.
The other four killed were identified on Tuesday as Catherine Goldstein, 64 years old. Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63; Steven Strauss, 88; and Nicholas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78. All victims came from Highland Park, with the exception of Toledo-Zaragoza, who was visiting families in the city from Morelos, Mexico.
Authorities have not yet identified the seventh victim.
Victims always include grandfathers who participated in the parade
Died Tuesday as investigators continued to look for evidence of at least the shootings they killed. People's portraits have begun to appear
Irina McCarthy's childhood friend Angela Bella described McCarthy as having fun, personality, and "like a grandfather."
"She definitely had her own style and I always admired it," Bella said in her short interview.
Chicago's financial adviser, Strauss, was one of the first observers of the parade and attended the parade every year, his grandchildren said.
Brothers Maxwell and Tobias Strauss described their grandfather as a kind and active man who loves walking, cycling and attending community events.
"You would think his way of life was still middle-aged," Maxwell Strauss said in an interview.
The two brothers remembered Sunday night supper with their grandparents as their favorite tradition. They said they ate with him the night before he was killed.
"American gun culture is killing grandparents," Maxwell Strauss said. "It's very terrible."
Sandheim was revered as the lifelong congregation and beloved staff of the North Shore congregation Israel, where she worked for decades, the reform synagogue said. Said on the website. Sondheim taught at a synagogue kindergarten and coordinated events, including Bar and Bat Mitzwah rituals.
"Jackie's work, kindness, and warmth impressed us all," the synagogue leaders wrote a message on their website. "There aren't enough words to describe the depth of our sorrow for Jackie's death and our sympathy for her family and loved ones."
'We are broken '
Toledo-Zaragoza was killed because his 23-year-old granddaughter, Xochil Toledo, was considered a "fun family" "a day that turned into a terrifying nightmare for all of us."
On the GoFundMe page to raise money for Toledo's funeral expenses, Xochil Toledo stated that her grandfather was "loving, creative, adventurous, and entertaining." rice field.
"As a family, we are broken and numb," she said.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Toledo Zaragoza came to Illinois to visit her family about two months ago. His family wanted him to stay forever because he was hit by a car and injured when he visited Highland Park a few years ago. Newspapers reported that he was hit by three bullets on Monday and died on the scene.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to attend the parade because I had to use a walker because of the large crowd and restricted movement, but Xochil Toledo wanted his family to leave him alone. Said not.