Highland Park Shooting Leaves Toddler Orphaned After Father Died to Protect His Son

Aiden McCarthy, 2, orphaned after the mass shooting in Highland Park, was finally reunited with his grandfather, Micheal Levberg, at the Illinois police station. His mother, Irina McCarthy, 35, and father, Kevin MacCarthy, 37, were among the seven victims of the July 4 parade shooting. The toddler was separated from his parents after another couple, Lauren Silva, 38, and her boyfriend, rescued him during the chaos.

According to Chicago Suntimes, Aiden's father died protecting him from the shooter. Kevin had Aiden under his body when he was shot in the leg. Aiden's paternal grandmother, Margo McCarthy, was also injured in the shooting. According to Montgomery Kersten, the cousin of Margo, the grandmother was holding Aiden when the shooting started.

Rescued by strangers

Silva, a mother of two, said she and her boyfriend had just eaten breakfast at Walker Bros when the gunfire stopped them in their tracks. They were opening the door to walk up the stairs when they heard several gunshots, which sounded like someone was pounding on the glass door.

Silva said they rushed to help those lying on the ground when suddenly, her boyfriend thrust a toddler into her arms. He told her he found Aiden underneath his father, who was shot in the leg. They were trying to stop the bleeding, so Silva said she brought the boy downstairs into the garage.

The boy kept asking if mom and dad would come back soon. As per Daily Beast, the boy was still in diapers and had one shoe on and a sock that was entirely covered in blood. Silva noted that Aiden also had a few scrapes that she helped clean. After being downstairs for about 20 minutes, Silva went upstairs to ask about the boy's dad. Her boyfriend told her he had passed away.

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Silva then handed Aiden to the family they hunkered down with, Dana and Greg Ring, who assured her they would take the boy to the hospital. The Ring couple noted that Silva was in shock. Greg Ring said that when he returned to the shooting scene to search for Aiden's parents, the place had become a carnage. The couple stopped at the fire department, unsure where to bring the boy. They then brought Aiden to the home of Dana Ring's parents so he could play with the couple's children. The Highland Park police later picked him up and reunited him with his granddad.

GoFundMe for Aiden

According to The Sun, a GoFundMe was initiated to raise funds for the orphan. The organizer wrote that on behalf of his family and with their permission, the fundraiser was raised to support Aiden and the caregivers who will raise, care and support him.

The fund drive for Aiden and his caregivers has raised more than $2.6million.

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