A young boy who lost his family during the July 4 mass shooting in Highland Park has been reunited with his grandparents after strangers spread the word on social media.
The little boy was found alone and covered in blood on Monday morning as a family-friendly Independence Day parade in Illinois city suddenly turned into a bloodbath, killing at least six victims and injuring dozens.
A local chef grabbed the boy and quickly took him out of danger when the gunman opened fire on the crowds, according to CBS Chicago’s Jackie Kostick.
The reporter shared photos of the terrified little boy on Twitter to help reunite him with his family, writing that he is “safe but with strangers.”
In the photos, the child was seen clutching a blanket to rest while his leg and shoes were covered in dry blood.
CBS It was later revealed that a Highland Park Police officer had collected the child from the home of a woman who was caring for him and taken him to the hospital to try to reunite him with his loved ones.
By later Monday afternoon, the boy was reunited with his grandparents at a local hospital.
This little boy who was separated from his family during the Highland Park Parade has been reunited with his grandparents via social media
(Jackie Kostick via Twitter)
It was not clear with whom the young boy had gone to the show or whether his family members were among the victims of the mass shooting.
Five adults were killed at the scene of the shooting, while a sixth victim died after being taken to hospital.
The first details began to emerge about the victims with the family of 76-year-old Grandpa Nicholas Toledo confirming his death on Monday afternoon.
The elderly man, who holds dual US and Mexican citizenship, used a wheelchair and was sitting on it when he was shot.
Mr. Toledo’s granddaughter told the The New York Times They were “all in shock” and revealed that her grandfather didn’t want to go to the show but did so to join his family.
Strollers and Independence Day memorabilia dot the streets after the show turned killer
(AFP)
The second victim was also identified Monday night as a devoted member of a local synagogue.
The North Shore congregation in Israel remembered Jackie Sondheim as a ‘lifelong’ devotee and a ‘dear’ employee whose work, kindness and warmth we have all touched.
Besides the six victims who were killed, 38 people were taken to local hospitals for treatment.
By Tuesday morning, eight patients were still receiving treatment and their cases are currently unknown.
The suspected gunman, 22-year-old Robert Cremo, was arrested Monday night after an eight-hour chase, when a police officer saw him driving along a highway.
He has not yet been charged with the mass shooting.
Cremo, whose father made a failed bid for Highland Park mayor but lost to current mayor Nancy Rottering, posted several disturbing videos glorifying violence on his YouTube account.
He is also an amateur rapper called Awake the Rapper and has over 16,000 listeners per month on his Spotify page.
talk to uncle CNN He said he saw “no signs” that his reclusive nephew would continue the mass shooting.
Robert E. Cremo III, 22, is an amateur rapper who goes by the stage name “The Rapper Woke Up”
(Robert Cremo/Reuters)
Mayor Rottering confirmed Tuesday morning that the firearm used in the attack was obtained legally.
Officials are silent about the type of gun used in the massacre, saying only that it was a “high-powered” long gun used to “spray” bullets into the crowd.
The weapon was recovered from the roof of a shop overlooking the parade route.
The gunman is believed to have climbed a ladder on the side of the building and taken up a position for a sniper on the rooftop before shooting at around 10.14am on Monday – just 14 minutes after the 4th of July parade that attracted locals and families. .
President Joe Biden condemned the shooting and said it showed there was “a lot of work to be done” to tackle gun violence in America.
