He Was Orphaned In The Highland Park Shooting, What People Just Did For Him IS….
As of this writing, more than $2 million has been raised for a 2-year-old boy who lost both his parents during a mass shooting at the July 4th parade in Highland Park, Illinois.
The boy’s parents, Irina McCarthy, 35, and Kevin McCarthy, 37, of Highland Park, were among the seven people killed in Monday’s tragedy.
In his final moments, Kevin McCarthy shielded his 2-year-old son, Aiden, from a spray of bullets unleashed on parade-goers by a rooftop shooter.
A good samaritan couple helped Aiden who was covered in blood stains under his dying father and get him to safety while authorities were contacted. The boy was later reunited with his grandparents Monday evening.
Parade attendees Dana and Greg Ring said that they found Aiden with a stranger after the shooting and took him in, according to CBS News.
Since then, the community launched a GoFundMe for the child, and as of Wednesday evening, that campaign has raised nearly $3 million for the newly orphaned child.
Here’s an excerpt from what Irina Colon, the fundraiser’s organizer, wrote on the page:
“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. 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.”
The Gateway Pundit added:
Colon set up the fundraiser with the permission of Aiden’s family and placed the essential details on the page regarding the death of his parents.
More than 35,000 donations came through the page in less than 24 hours. And as of early Wednesday, the total raised was more than $1.95 million.
Jennifer Cooper-Dudovitz, one of the many donors, wrote, “Aiden….There are no words to express how sorry and heartbroken I am. Your life changed in an instant and you don’t even know what’s going on. You will be surrounded by love and I wish you the best life …you did not deserve this.”
Four other victims have been identified: Katherine Goldstein, 64; Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63; Stephen Straus, 88; and Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78.
The seventh victim has not yet been identified.
Moreover, GoFundMe has set up a landing page with all of the verified fundraisers for victims of the Highland Park massacre, where people are looking for help with medical bills, therapy, and funeral expenses.
Sources: TheGatewayPundit, CBS News