On Monday, an active shooter in Highland Park, Illinois, opened fire during an Independence Day parade. At a press conference Tuesday, law enforcement officials reported that 45 people had been injured and seven were killed.
Since the shooter is now in custody, the community has turned its attention to those who were lost. Five of the seven victims were local to the Highland Park area, and one was visiting relatives there. The seventh victim was identified Wednesday by CBS as Eduardo Uvaldo from Waukegan, Illinois.
The newly identified
Wednesday at 7:47 a.m., Uvaldo succumbed to his injuries and was announced by the Cook County medical examiner at Evanston Hospital as the seventh victim of the shooting.
His family told CBS that he was shot in the head, and was quickly transferred from the part to the hospital.
An orphaned toddler
Kevin McCarthy (37) and his wife, Irina McCarthy (35), were shot and killed at the parade, leaving their 2-year-old son, Aiden, an orphan.
The child now resides with his mother’s parents, Misha and Nina Levberg, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Irina’s father told the Chicago Sun-Times that Kevin died protecting Aiden with his body when he was shot.
A mother-daughter duo
Victim Katherine Goldstein (64) was attending the parade with her 22-year-old daughter, Cassie Goldstein, according to the New York Post. When the shooter opened fire, the two ran until a bullet hit her mother’s chest.
“I knew she was dead,” Cassie Goldstein stated in an interview with NBC. “I just told her I loved her, but I couldn’t stop, because he was still shooting everyone next to me.”
The 22–year-old said she was glad to have had 22 years with “the best mom in the world.”
A synagogue congregant and preschool teacher
On the website for North Shore Congregation Israel in Glencoe, a tribute can be found for Jacquelyn Sundheim (63), a longtime congregant and preschool teacher.
Sundheim was well-known in the congregation for her active involvement in “life-cycle events,” such as bar and bat mitzvahs and weddings, according to the Chicago Tribune.
“We cannot remember a time when we walked into the sanctuary and she wasn’t standing at the door to greet people,” Lauren Absler, a member of the congregation, told the Chicago Tribune.
A lover of the arts and ‘a product of Chicago’
Stephen “Steve” Straus (88) was married to his wife, Linda, for 60 years, according to the Chicago Tribune. They had two sons and four grandchildren.
Straus enjoyed the Art Institute and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. When he wasn’t there, he worked as a stockbroker in downtown Chicago.
His son, Peter, told the Chicago Tribune that he tried to call and wish his father a happy Fourth of July, but he didn’t answer. Peter Straus didn’t think much of it until the news reports made him aware of the shooting.
A grandfather who came for a better life
Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza (78) frequently traveled between his home in Mexico and the United States to visit, his family told The New York Times.
He had been hit by a car several years ago while visiting Highland Park, and he sat in a wheelchair due to poor health.
“We brought him over here so he could have a better life,” his granddaughter told The New York Times. “His sons wanted to take care of him and be more in his life, and then this tragedy happened.”
When the bullets flew, the family thought it was part of the show, until their grandfather, Toledo, and several other family members were hit.
Highland Park community unites
The mayor of Highland Park, Nancy Rotering, offered her condolences in a press release and shared a message of reassurance and comfort.
“As we now put the names and faces of those lost yesterday, our focus shifts to the victims and those left behind,” said Rotering. “While we are hurting we know that we will continue to come together and support each other as we always do in difficult times. We are Highland Park strong.”