In the aftermath of a mass shooting that left seven dead Monday in a Chicago suburb, a toddler wandered alone before strangers picked him up and began searching for his parents. Tuesday, it emerged both his parents were killed in the gunfire, leaving the 2-year-old an orphan.
Anguish took over the city of Highland Park in a wave after Fourth of July celebrations were shattered when a gunman opened fire, injuring at least two dozen people. Among those killed were a dedicated synagogue worker, an avid bird watcher and a grandfather watching Fourth of July festivities from his wheelchair.
Hundreds gathered at a vigil downtown Tuesday evening as neighbors held hands, hugged and cried. Some placed flowers, prayed and lit candles. Many wore Highland Park High School sweatshirts.
“It feels good to be with other people going through the same thing,” said Lucy Melinger, 19, who lives a block from the scene of the shooting, as she carried a bouquet of pink carnations.
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All but one victim have been identified by The Lake County Coroner’s office:
- Katherine Goldstein of Highland Park, 64
- Irina McCarthy of Highland Park, 35
- Kevin McCarthy of Highland Park, 37
- Jacquelyn Sundheim of Highland Park, 63
- Stephen Straus of Highland Park, 88
- Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza of Morelos, Mexico, 78
Here’s what we know so far about them.
Irina McCarthy, 35, and Kevin McCarthy, 37
Irina McCarthy’s childhood friend, Angela Vella, described McCarthy as fun, personable, and “somewhat of a tomboy” who still liked to dress up. “She definitely had her own style, which I always admired,” Vella told The Associated Press.
Born in Moscow, Irina McCarthy moved to Chicago with her family when she was 2 years old before later moving to Highland Park, her father, Michael Levberg, told the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday. Irina and Kevin McCarthy got married about five years ago after they met while working together, he said.
They were the parents of 2-year-old Aiden, who was found bloody and alone by bystanders. His photo was shared across social media and news outlets with a plea to identify him. He was reunited with his grandparents Monday evening.
Friends of the McCarthys said Irina’s parents would raise him going forward. Meanwhile, community members mobilized to help support the boy, raising almost $2 million for him by Wednesday morning on GoFundMe.
“At 2 years old, Aiden is left in the unthinkable position; to grow up without his parents,” a verified GoFundMe page for Aiden said.
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Nicolas Toledo, 78
Nicolas Toledo, 76, was among the victims, his granddaughter, Alba Toledo, 23, confirmed in Spanish in a message to USA TODAY, adding their family is “shattered.”
“It’s an enormous pain,” she said.
“Believe me my grandfather was a great person, with an enormous heart, he was the best grandfather, loving, attentive,” she added.
He wasn’t sure he wanted to go to the parade, but his family — who had excitedly set up chairs along the parade route the night before — brought him to the event to watch in his wheelchair, another of his granddaughters, Xochil Toledo, told the Chicago Sun-Times.
When shots rang out, Xochil Toledo said her father tried to shield her grandfather, but Nicolas Toledo died at the scene of the shooting.
Toledo, a great-grandfather and dual Mexican-American citizen, spent most of his life in Morelos, Mexico, and had moved back to Highland Park a few months ago to be with family, Xochil Toledo told the Sun-Times. It is unclear if he is the Mexican national that an official from the Mexican Foreign Ministry’s North America unit said was among the victims.
He had eight children, a big smile and bright, blue eyes, Xochil Toledo told the Sun-Times. He liked a home-cooked meal and had a great sense of humor. Alba Toledo told USA TODAY her grandfather loved drawing, hunting, fishing and going for walks in the park.
“We only wish that he’s remembered as a great person, a hard-working man, a great father and grandfather, charismatic, fun, a fighter and adventurer,” she said.
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Jacquelyn ‘Jacki’ Sundheim, 63
Jacquelyn “Jacki” Sundheim was a dedicated, lifelong congregant and a staff member at North Shore Congregation Israel for decades, according to the synagogue, which confirmed her death in a statement on its website.
Sundheim helped organize events as the synagogue’s events and B’nei Mitzvah coordinator. She also once taught at the Gates of Learning Preschool with “tireless dedication,” according to the statement.
“Jacki’s work, kindness and warmth touched us all,” the synagogue said.
“There are no words sufficient to express the depth of our grief for Jacki’s death and sympathy for her family and loved ones,” it added. “We know you join us in the deepest prayer that Jacki’s soul will be bound up in the shelter of God’s wings and her family will somehow find comfort and consolation amidst this boundless grief.”
Stephen Straus, 88
Stephen Straus, 88, a Chicago financial adviser, was one of the first observers at the parade and attended it every year, his grandchildren said.
Brothers Maxwell and Tobias Straus described their grandfather in an interview with The Associated Press as a kind and active man who loved walking, biking, and attending community events.
A “product of Chicago” born and raised on the city’ South Side, Stephen Straus loved the Art Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and commuted on the Metra five days a week to his office downtown, his son, Jonathan Straus, told the Chicago Tribune. He was also an avid reader and joke-teller.
“The way he lived life, you’d think he was still middle-aged,” Maxwell Straus told the Associated Press.
The two brothers recalled Sunday night dinners with their grandparents as a favorite tradition. They said they ate with him the night before he was killed.
“America’s gun culture is killing grandparents,” said Maxwell Straus. “It’s very just terrible.”
Katherine Goldstein, 64
Katherine Goldstein’s husband described her as an easygoing travel companion who was always game to visit far-flung locales.
“She didn’t complain,” Craig Goldstein told The New York Times. “She was always along for the ride.”
Goldstein, of Highland Park, was a mother of two daughters in their early 20s: Cassie and Alana. She attended the parade with her older daughter so that Cassie could reunite with friends from high school, Craig Goldstein, a hospital physician, told the newspaper.
“She was just a good mom, and I got 22 years with her,” Cassie Goldstein told NBC News. “And I got to have 22 years with the best mom in the world. … I did everything with her. She was my best friend.”
Dr. Goldstein said his wife had recently lost her mother and had given thought to what kind of arrangements she might want when she dies. He recalled that Katherine, an avid bird watcher, said she wanted to be cremated and to have her remains scattered in the Montrose Beach area of Chicago, where there is a bird sanctuary.
“She was really selfless, and seemingly always upbeat,” he told NBC News. “… She touched so many people in a positive way.”
Contributing: Grace Hauck, Adrianna Rodriguez and Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY; The Associated Press