Highland Park Shooting Orphan Aiden McCarthy Has Heartbreaking Words to His Parents; Donation for Toddler Reaches $2 Million

After his father died defending him, a two-year-old toddler who was orphaned as a result of the Highland Park mass shooting penned a letter.

"Mommy and Daddy will be here soon," Aiden McCarthy said as he was reunited with his grandfather, Michael Levberg, inside an Illinois police station.

Highland Park Shooting Orphan Was Saved by His Father

Kevin McCarthy, 37, died while shielding his kid, joining his wife, Irina McCarthy, 35, as one of seven persons slain during the Fourth of July parade. Margo McCarthy, Aiden's paternal grandmother, was also shot while assisting the couple in caring for the kid during the procession. Kevin McCarthy was killed after he was hit in the femoral artery, according to Kersten.

Aiden was reportedly removed from his parents when another spouse rescued him amid the pandemonium. Lauren Silva, 38, claimed she and her boyfriend fled a parking garage after hearing gunshots during the Fourth of July celebration.

The two had barely finished their meal when they were stopped in their tracks by the sound. Silva and her partner were nearby when suspected shooter Robert E. Crimo reportedly opened fire on a rooftop, killing at least seven people and injuring more than twenty.

They waited in the garage for what felt like 20 minutes before reconnecting with her partner, according to Silva. After another couple took Aiden to the fire department, he was reunited with his grandparents. Dana and Greg Ring said they retrieved the unhurt youngster before searching for his parents. They decided to take him to the fire station, where a Highland Police investigator took Aiden to his grandparents, The Sun reported.

Aiden McCarthy GoFundMe Hits $2 Million

As per Newsweek via MSN, donations totaling more than $2 million have been collected for the two-year-old kid survivor. Aiden McCarthy's photo was published on social media in the hours following the shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, along with pleas for assistance in identifying the boy who had been found alone at the site.

On Monday evening, a detective picked up the youngster and returned him to his grandparents. Authorities announced on Tuesday that his parents, Kevin and Irina McCarthy, were among the seven individuals murdered in the attack.

In less than 12 hours, more than 34,000 contributions were received on the page. As of early Wednesday, the total amount raised had surpassed $2 million. Irina Colon hailed the more than 47,000 individuals who donated to the charity.

Katherine Goldstein, 64, Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63, Stephen Straus, 88, and Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78, are the other casualties. The identity of the seventh victim has yet to be determined. At least 30 people were injured in the incident. Authorities said the accused gunman fired an AR-15-style rifle from atop a commercial building onto a throng assembled for a parade in the Chicago suburb.

On Monday evening, Robert Crimo III was arrested and charged with seven charges of first-degree murder. Crimo would face a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole if convicted on the murder charges, Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Bill Ackman, a billionaire, is the fund's greatest donor to date, having contributed $18,000 to it. On Tuesday, his office verified the gift to The Daily Beast. The greatest donation in the previous two hours came from an unidentified source and totaled $10,000. The majority of the other major contributors are also anonymous.