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Aiden McCarthy, 2, who was rescued by strangers, orphaned after parents DIED in Highland Park parade massacre

Pictures posted on Twitter show what appears to be blood stains on the boy's legs and shoes, but it is not clear whether the blood is his own or someone else's
UPDATED JUL 6, 2022
Little Aiden McCarthy (r) was orphaned after he lost both his parents Kevin and Irina McCarthy died in the July 4 parade massacre (GoFundMe and @JackieKostek/Twitter)
Little Aiden McCarthy (r) was orphaned after he lost both his parents Kevin and Irina McCarthy died in the July 4 parade massacre (GoFundMe and @JackieKostek/Twitter)

Update: The two-year-old boy who was found bloodied and alone during the Highland Park shooting on Monday, July 4, was lifted from underneath his father, who was shot when gunman Robert Crimo opened fire. The boy has now been identified as Aiden McCarthy. Lauren Silva, 38, of Deerfield, and her boyfriend found Aiden after they heard gunshots while heading to Walker Bros restaurant for breakfast.

Unfortunately, Aiden is now an orphan as his mother Irina McCarthy and father Kevin McCarthy were shot after being separated from their child during the chaos of the deadly shooting, reports the Daily Mail.  Aiden was unharmed and has been placed in the care of his grandparents, Misha and Nina Levebeg. Silva told The Daily Beast that "he kept asking if mom and dad are going to come back soon." Silva handed the boy off to a family that was also inside the garage at the time. They took the boy to a hospital and eventually handed him over to police, following which he was reunited with his grandparents. Silva said that she is still holding on to the memory of the "kid's face and his touch and the sound of his voice." "I feel like I want to hold on to, like, a little bit of emotion that I feel—which is telling that boy that his dad was going to come back," she had said.

A GoFundMe page was established to help Aiden's family with 'raising, caring for and supporting' him. The account had raised $1,501,240 raised of $500,000 goal with over 27.9K donations at the time of writing this article. GoFundMe organizer Irina Colon revealed: "We took him to safety under tragic circumstances, came together to locate his grandparents, and prayed for the safety of his family."

Warning: Content may be distressing, viewers discretion advised

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: A little boy found alone and bloodied during the Highland Park Fourth of July shooting was reunited with his grandparents at a local hospital by strangers who kept him safe. CBS Chicago's Jackie Kostek earlier posted photos of the child, saying he was found alone and was kept "safe but with strangers". It is unclear whether the child was at the Fourth of July parade with his parents or grandparents.

The child was taken by a Highland Park chef and was kept safe after the shooting. Pictures posted on Twitter show what appears to be blood stains on the boy's legs and shoes. It is not clear whether the blood is his own or someone else's. 

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"Do you know this child? A Highland Park chef says the child is safe but with strangers after the shooting. Please email bmerel@yahoo.com if you know the child so he can be reunited with family," Kostek had earlier tweeted. The unnamed child has now been reunited with his grandparents, according to the Daily Mail



 

Meanwhile, a rapper, 22, has been arrested on suspicion of shooting six people dead at the July 4 parade in a Chicago suburb. Cops intercepted Robert 'Bobby' Crimo III in North Lake Forest, Chicago, after 7 pm local time Monday, July 4, after spotting the silver Honda Fit he was last seen driving. Photographs that later surfaced show the killer being pinned to the ground face-down by police. 

Robert Crimo III has been arrested on suspicion of shooting six people dead at a July 4 parade in a Chicago suburb (FBI)

At least six people were killed on Monday, July 4, after Crimo, armed with a powerful rifle, opened fire from a rooftop at a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park. Highland Park Police chief Lou Jogmen had earlier described Crimo as "very dangerous". Panicked onlookers ran for their lives as the gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop. The shooting began at around 10:14 am, police said.



 

Police Commander Chris O'Neill said the gunman had a "high-powered rifle" that he used to fire from the top of a commercial building. A rifle was recovered at the scene, as was a ladder attached to the building. Five of the six victims, all adults, died on the scene, while the sixth was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. A total of 26 victims aged between eight and 85 were injured.

The rapper Crimo posted rap videos online using the name Awake. In one of the songs, the suspect wrote: "My actions will be valiant and my thought is unnecessary, I know what I have to do, I know what's in it, not only for me, but for everyone else." The words set to drawings of a figure who looked like Crimo, pointing a gun. A newspaper clipping about JFK's murderer Lee Harvey Oswald is visible at one point. 

A rapper from Highland Park, Robert Crimo posted rap videos online using the name Awake (eye/YouTube screenshot)

Clues of Crimo's horrific plan were uploaded to his YouTube page ZeroTwo in a vlog-style manifesto. Disturbing videos uploaded to his channel showed what looks like an illustration of a mass shooting and another that shows the street where the massacre took place. One of the videos even showed an illustration of cops shooting him. 

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