Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Boy shot in July 4 parade massacre returns home to family

An 8-year-old suburban Chicago boy is back home after more than two months of treatment for severe injuries he sustained during the Fourth of July parade shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, his family said Thursday

Via AP news wire
Thursday 22 September 2022 23:00 BST
Shooting July Fourth Parade Twins
Shooting July Fourth Parade Twins (The Roberts Family)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Eight-year-old Cooper Roberts is back home after more than two months of treatment for injuries from a shooting at a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, his family said Thursday.

The attack this past summer killed seven and wounded dozens, including Cooper’s mother, Keely Roberts, and his twin brother, Luke, who have since recovered.

Cooper was shot in the back, and the bullet ripped through his body, severely damaging his aorta, liver, esophagus and spinal cord before exiting through his chest. He was taken first to Highland Park Hospital where he underwent a life-saving surgery, then spent in-patient stays at Comer Children’s Hospital and Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago.

“We are at a total loss of words to express how filled with gratitude, love and wholeness we now feel given that we are able to finally have Cooper back at home,” the family said in a statement. “He is able to live once again with his twin brother, Luke, and resume being one another’s very best playmates.”

Cooper, the youngest of six children who adores his French bulldog puppy, George, is partially paralyzed and unable to play sports or on most playgrounds, as he once loved to do.

“For all the love that he has come back to, there are so many painful reminders of what he has lost,” his parents said, adding that “there is no word” to describe Cooper’s pain when he sees his bike he can no longer ride or his old soccer jersey.

The family's home is no longer fully accessible for Cooper, who uses a wheelchair. The family is figuring out how they will renovate or build a new home.

“This ‘new normal’ we are just starting during this transition home is hard; really, really hard,” his parents said. But they know “he will show the entire world that love really does win in the end.”

___

Claire Savage is a corps members for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in