8-year-old boy paralyzed in Highland Park shooting in 'critical' condition, family asks for prayers
The family of an 8-year-old boy shot in a mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, is asking for prayers and support after the child’s condition deteriorated Tuesday, requiring him to undergo a complex surgery.
Seven people were killed in the shooting during the Fourth of July parade, and as many as 24 other spectators were hospitalized after sustaining serious and critical injuries. A day after police apprehended 21-year-old Robert "Bobby" E. Crimo III as a "person of interest" in the shooting, he was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder.
Authorities said the suspect used a high-powered rifle to commit the mass shooting from the rooftop of a business.
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As The Daily Beast reported, Cooper Roberts was attending the Fourth of July parade with his twin brother, mother and father when the shooting occurred. A bullet severed the child's spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed below the waist. His condition was upgraded to "serious" over the weekend, and he was taken off the ventilator.
The child briefly gained the ability to speak before he became critical again on Tuesday, with one of his lungs collapsing and an infection bringing on a fever. He was forced to undergo another surgery, his seventh operation since the shooting.
“Cooper’s situation is now critical. He just went into a risky extensive, and lengthy surgery to try to again repair his esophagus,” Anthony Liozzi, a spokesperson for the family, wrote in a Tuesday Facebook post.
“His fever is spiking due to an infection, and one of his lungs has partially collapsed. Please, any and all prayers are very much needed today.”
Liozzi posted a follow-up a few hours later, explaining that Cooper made it through a five-hour surgery and doctors had located a leak in his esophagus. The spokesperson assured people that the boy is “with us and still fighting.”
“All your prayers are working. Please keep praying. Long road ahead and still very fluid situation, but the little guy made it!” he wrote.
In another update, Liozzi wrote that Cooper still has fluid in his lungs which is being treated with medication. He added that the boy is “stable” and getting plenty of rest.
Cooper’s mother, Keely Roberts, was shot in the leg and foot but recovered. A Sunday statement posted by Zion Elementary School District, the boy’s school, said Cooper is in a “great deal of pain — physically and emotionally.”
“The family wishes to acknowledge and thank the many, many people – emergency medics, police, fire department, nurses, and doctors at both hospitals — who did extraordinary things to save Cooper’s life,” the statement reads.
“It was a true miracle. And to thank from the bottom of their hearts the thousands who have prayed, sent gifts, supported the family in myriad ways, and donated to the Go Fund Me campaign for Cooper’s long-term care.”
A GoFundMe for the family raised over $1.5 million as of Thursday.
“We know their medical bills will be significant, as will the treatments, therapy, and all of the equipment, devices, and adaptations to their home,” the GoFundMe description reads. “Please continue to keep the Roberts family in your thoughts and prayers. Any help you can provide is deeply appreciated.”
At a subsequent press conference after the shooting, Chris Covelli with the Lake County Sheriff's Office said more than 100 law enforcement officers were called to the parade scene to locate the shooter. He said it appears that the shooter targeted spectators at random.
According to Covelli, the parade was "three-quarters of the way through" when the suspect began shooting. "Very random, very intentional, and a very sad day."
