Kevin McCarthy, 37, and his wife, Irina, 35, were among seven people who died following an explosion of bullets Monday from a rooftop into a holiday crowd in Highland Park, Illinois, the Lake County Coroner’s Office has said. Nearly 40 others were injured.
Aiden “was pulled out from underneath his father, who was still bleeding, by good Samaritans,” US Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, told CNN’s John Berman on Wednesday. “Then, they went to work on his dad because his dad’s leg was still bleeding.”
The McCarthys had been looking forward to seeing the parade with their toddler, Levberg told the Sun-Times.
“They were crazy about their child,” he said. “They were planning two.”
After the gunfire subsided, Aiden — a little boy, all alone — “was walking in the street,” his grandfather told the Sun-Times. It’s an image others captured and shared on social media.
“When we pulled in, the cops looked like they were getting ready for war,” Greg said. “I’ll never forget. I pulled up, and I said, ‘This is not our kid. It’s not his blood; he’s OK. What should we do?’
“And the cop said, ‘We can’t be babysitters now. Can you take care of him?’
“We said, ‘Of course.'”
“When I picked him up, he said, ‘Are Mommy and Daddy coming soon?'” Levberg said Tuesday. “He doesn’t understand.”
“At two years old, Aiden is left in the unthinkable position; to grow up without his parents,” the fundraising campaign said.
“Aiden will be cared for by his loving family and he will have a long road ahead to heal, find stability, and ultimately navigate life as an orphan,” it said. “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.”
More than $2 million had been raised by Wednesday morning, according to the GoFundMe account, which will support the boy “and the caregivers who will be tasked with raising, caring for, and supporting Aiden as he and his support system embark on this unexpected journey.”
For now, confronting an anguished reality may be the first step.