Victims of the Highland Park parade shooting

On July 4, 2022, a mass shooting occurred at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois. The shooter, Robert Crimo, was arrested later that day. 7 people were killed and 45 others were wounded. 6 people died on the day of the shooting, 5 of whom died at the scene. A 7th victim died at the hospital the next day. Many of the injured were left permanently paralyzed. The ages of the victims, dead and injured, ranges from 8 to 88.

## Deceased victims

The seven people killed in the shooting were:

* **Katherine Goldstein**, 64
* **Irina McCarthy**, 35
* **Kevin McCarthy**, 37
* **Stephen Straus**, 88
* **Jacquelyn Sundheim**, 63
* **Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza**, 78
* **Eduardo Uvaldo**, 69

### Katherine Goldstein

Katherine "Katie" Goldstein (née Brebrick) was born on June 10, 1958, to parents Robert F. Brebrick and Marian K. Brebrick. She met Craig I. Goldstein at Marquette University, and 20 years after their initial meeting, they reconnected and married. They had two children: Alana and Casimir "Cassie". She lived with her husband, two daughters, and mother-in-law in Highland Park. Her mother passed away on June 30, 2022, shortly before the parade shooting.

Katherine watched the parade with her daughter, Cassie. Katherine initially mistook the gunshots to be fireworks. Her daughter quickly realized there was an active shooter, and the two fled. Katherine was shot in the chest and died at the scene. Her funeral was held on July 29, the last of the seven victims.

### Irina and Kevin McCarthy

Irina McCarthy was born on May 5, 1987. Kevin Michael McCarthy was born on December 18, 1984. The two eventually married and had one child together, Aidan, in either 2019 or 2020. Irina worked for the pharmaceutical company Abbott Laboratories.

The two attended the parade with their 2-year-old son. Irina and Kevin were both struck by bullets and killed at the scene. Aidan was discovered by bystanders sheltered under the body of Kevin. Bystanders cared for him and attempted to find his mother, but discovered that she was also dead. He was reunited with has grandparents and was put under their care.

Irina's funeral was held on July 12, while Kevin's was held on July 18. A GoFundMe campaign was created for their son. The campaign raised over $3 million, more than six times its initial goal.

### Stephen Straus

Stephen Straus was born in either 1933 or 1934, from a Jewish family on Chicago's south side. He eventually moved to Highland Park and became married to Linda Straus (née Jacobson) and had two children: Jonathan and Peter. Straus worked as a financial advisor in Chicago. He frequently visited the Art Institute of Chicago and watched performances by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

At 88, Straus was the oldest victim of the shooting. At his funeral on July 8, Rabbi Rachel Weiss stated, "the beauty of this person came to an end in ugliness… we aren’t going to try and make sense of this because it makes no sense, [but] his spirit will live on for as long as we are alive."

### Jacquelyn Sundheim

Jacquelyn "Jacki" Sundheim (née Lovi) was born on December 11, 1958, to parents Martin Lovi and Sharon Lovi, and had one sister, Tracy Hartlieb. She and her husband, Bruce Sundheim had one child named Leah. Sundheim was a preschool teacher and event coordinator at North Shore Congregation Israel, a Reform synagogue in Glencoe, Illinois.

Sundheim's funeral was held on July 8. Rabbi Wendi Geffen stated, "Jacki’s life was not long enough. There is an incalculable list of all the should-have-beens. We’ll never be able to tally it."

### Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza

Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza was born on September 10, 1943. Raised in Morelos, Mexico, he became a dual citizen of Mexico and the United States. He had arrived in Illinois two months prior to the shooting to visit his family.

On a previous visit to Highland Park, Toledo had been hit by a car, leaving him wheelchair-bound. He initially had reservations about attending the parade due to his mobility issues, but family members eventually convinced him to attend. Toledo was shot three times at the parade. His funeral was held on July 8, the same day as Sundheim's and Straus's. He was buried in his home state of Morelos.

### Eduardo Uvaldo

Eduardo "Lalo" Uvaldo was born on July 8, 1952. A Mexico native, he eventually moved to Waukegan, Illinois. He was married to Maria Uvaldo, and had four children and 16 grandchildren.

Uvaldo suffered fatal injuries during the shooting and was rushed to Evanston Hospital. He was the 7th victim to die, succumbing to his injuries at 7:47 AM the day after the shooting. He was 3 days from his 70th birthday.

## Injured victims

Toledo's son attempted to shield him from bullets during the shooting and was shot once in the arm. His granddaughter's boyfriend was also shot, but survived. Margo McCarthy, the mother of Kevin McCarthy, was shot in the neck. The bullet failed to penetrate any blood vessels, and she escaped with non-life threatening injuries. Uvaldo's wife and grandson were also injured in the shooting.

The youngest victim, 8-year-old Cooper Roberts, was shot in the abdomen, paralyzing him from the waist down. He remained in intensive care for much of July before being released. A GoFundMe campaign was created for him and his family, reaching its $2 million goal. Roberts's recovery was covered extensively in the media. He struggled to regain his motor skills, endured near-constant pain, and showed signs of cognitive loss, failing to remember certain words and memories. After several months, Roberts was able to make a significant recovery, but remains paralyzed from the waist down.

63-year-old John Kezdy, lead singer of the defunct Chicago-based band The Effigies, was injured in the shooting. Several victims were not struck by bullets but were injured by shrapnel. In total, 48 people were injured in the shooting.

## Other people present

Among the witnesses to the shooting was representative Bob Morgan, who would go on to sponsor the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA), which banned the sale of certain weapons in Illinois. Julie Morrison, a member of the Illinois Senate who represents Highland Park and other surrounding towns, was also present. Ashbey Beasley and her 6-year-old son were spectators at the parade, and were not injured in the shooting. Beasley has since become an outspoken advocate for gun control. In March 2023, She was vacationing near The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, when an attack occurred there. At the scene, she appeared on news cameras, denouncing gun violence.

## Memorials and tributes

A number of impromptu memorials were created in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. In November 2022, a temporary memorial was erected in a garden next to Highland Park City Hall. Plans for a permanent memorial have not been finalized.

On July 4, 2023, one year after the shooting, a memorial service was held in front of Highland Park city hall, and was attended by thousands. The memorial concluded with a walk of the parade route.

## Citations

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://www.mitzvahfunerals.com/memorials/katherine-goldstein/4995096/index.php
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/best-mom-in-the-world-family-remembers-katherine-goldstein-fatally-shot-in-highland-park-shooting/2877088/
3. ↑ https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/wilmette-il/irina-mccarthy-10838041
4. ↑ https://www.donnellanfuneral.com/obituaries/Kevin-Michael-McCarthy?obId=25341489
5. ↑ https://www.gofundme.com/f/irina-and-kevin-mccarthy
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 https://evanstonroundtable.com/2022/07/08/stephen-straus-service-honors-a-man-a-mensch-and-a-family-pillar/
7. ↑ https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/wilmette-il/jacquelyn-sundheim-10833353
8. ↑ https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/7/8/23200673/highland-park-parade-shooting-funeral-jacki-sundheim
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 https://chicago.suntimes.com/metro-state/2022/7/4/23194745/highland-park-victim-nicolas-toledo-mass-shooting-fourth-of-july-parade-homicide
10. ↑ https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/nicolas-zaragoza-obituary?id=35725482
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/07/05/highland-park-victims-list-parade-shooting/7806497001/
12. ↑ https://www.gofundme.com/f/5a54u4-recovery-costs
13. ↑ https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/03/us/highland-park-shooting-cooper-roberts/index.html
14. ↑ https://www.gofundme.com/f/kxwjn-the-roberts-family-fundraiser
15. ↑ https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/boy-paralyzed-highland-park-shooting-showing-signs-cognitive-loss-fami-rcna46061
16. ↑ https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/nbc-news-exclusive-mother-youngest-highland-park-shooting-survivor-speaks-coopers-recovery/3134368/
17. ↑ https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22122210-people-vs-crimo-indictment [Page 27]
18. ↑ https://www.msnbc.com/jose-diaz-balart/watch/illinois-state-rep-bob-morgan-on-witnessing-highland-park-shooting-143520325964
19. ↑ https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/witnesses-describe-horrific-highland-park-4th-of-july-parade-mass-shooting/
20. ↑ https://abc7chicago.com/highland-park-ashbey-beasley-mass-shooting-gun-violence/12445831/
21. ↑ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/03/27/covenant-shooting-ashbey-beasley-highland-park-survivor/11550772002/
22. ↑ https://abc7chicago.com/highland-park-parade-shooting-memorial-illinois/12441355/
23. ↑ https://cityhpil.com/highland\_park\_strong/index.php ["Permanent Memorial Information"]
24. ↑ https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-highland-park-one-year-anniversary-20230703-oy43c3jscrbrdox6p6pe4rumsq-list.html