Dana and Gregory Ring grabbed their children and ran desperately for their lives when gunfire broke out at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade in Illinois on Monday. Adriana Diaz, CBS News’ Adriana Ring, said that the mood at Monday’s parade changed from joyous to chaotic within seconds.
Dana Ring stated, “It was almost like a light switch had flipped and everyone just ran for cover.”
The Rings claimed that they were able to care for a child who had wandered off by himself in the chaos.
Gregory Ring stated, “He was saying, ‘mommy daddy’ so I went back up and looked for his mom and father and then I saw what had happened, the carnage.”
Aiden McCarthy, 2 years old, was the toddler. Irina and Kevin McCarthy, his parents, were among those killed in Monday’s massacre. Witnesses claimed that Kevin died protecting Aiden.
Aiden was later reunited with his grandparents by a detective.
Since Tuesday’s creation, a fundraiser to aid Aiden has raised approximately $2.9 million.
Robert Crimo III is being investigated by investigators. He is said to have taken aim from a rooftop and fired 83 shots at spectators. The suspect claimed he chose July 4th because he liked the numbers 4-7, but he would not discuss any motive. The alleged gunman, despite previous encounters with police in the past, passed four background checks in 2020 & 2021. He had an arsenal of five firearms.
Police say that the suspect drove for two and a quarter hours to Madison, Wisconsin after the shooting. He was thought to be planning another attack. After returning to Illinois, the suspect was arrested in a traffic stop. According to police, he admitted to the shooting.
He is currently being held without bail and charged with seven counts first-degree murder. Additional charges will be brought against him over the next few weeks.
The Rings claimed that they were furious at the fact that the shooting took place in the first instance.
Gregory stated that children should not run from Fourth of July parades in Midwest — or anywhere else.
