Photo: gofundme
An 8-year-old boy may never walk again after being shot in the chest at a 4th of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois.
Cooper Roberts was at the event with his parents and twin brother when tragedy struck as agunman opened fire, killing seven people and injuring dozens, according toCNN.
The child “was shot in the chest and he suffered significant injuries including a severed spinal cord,” Anthony Loizzi, a spokesperson for his family toldNBC Newson Thursday.
He added that Cooper had to get “several surgeries” after Monday’s shooting, with the last being on Wednesday night, when “doctors were finally able to close up his belly.”
As of the interview, Cooper was “sedated and on a ventilator, in critical but stable condition,” Loizzi said. “The Roberts family is so appreciative of the prayers and support that have come in and have been shared with them.”
Sharing more about Cooper, Loizzi said that “he loves sports, that’s his passion” and is “a Milwaukee Brewers fan. Every time I talk to his mom about him he’s always very active, way into sports, loves baseball.”
Because of the injuries Cooper suffered, he is going to experience “a new normal,” Loizzi said. “They’re not sure, due to the severed spinal cord, whether or not he’ll be able to walk again in the future. It sounds as if he’ll have significant issues moving forward, especially with walking.”
“It’s been a very emotional time for everybody in their circle,” he continued.
He saluted Cooper’s mother Keely as “a fighter”, adding, “It sounds like Cooper got that part of her in him because he’s fighting as hard as he can.”
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“The doctors have determined that he will be paralyzed from the waist down. Cooper continues to fight as hard as he can,” it reads, later adding in an update that “the next benchmark is to get him off the ventilator.”
On Tuesday, Robert E. Crimo, III, 21, was charged withseven countsof first-degree murder in connection to the shooting, Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart announced in a press conference.
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The alleged shooter was spotted in North Chicago. Police attempted a traffic stop, Covelli said. The man fled. After a brief chase, police stopped him in Lake Forest, where he was taken into custody without incident.
The investigation is ongoing.
source: people.com
