The 8-year-old Highland Park shooting victim who was left paralyzed has once again found himself in critical condition.
Cooper Roberts, 8, was left fighting for his life after his spinal cord was severed on the Fourth of July when 21-year-old Robert Bobby Crimo III opened fire on the crowd watching the Highland Park parade.
After the child was rushed to the hospital, it was confirmed that he was left paralyzed from the waist down. While his condition has since stabilized, the young victim has now once again slipped into critical condition.
According to Cooper’s family, the 8-year-old requires an “urgent, complex and lengthy surgery today to again attempt to repair his torn esophagus.”
As the family explained, this will be the boy’s 7th surgery. The procedure comes after Cooper’s torn esophagus reopened.
“This is his seventh surgery and is of particularly high risk given his age and current condition,” Anthony Loizzi, the family’s spokesperson, said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune.
Loizzi also thanked the family’s supporters for encouraging words and “all prayers for his recovery.”
Speaking to CBS, Loizzi added: “At this time, the doctors do not believe that he suffered any brain damage or cognitive impact from the shooting.”
Meanwhile, the doctors overseeing the boy’s treatment reportedly confirmed that it is unlikely that Cooper will ever be able to walk again due to the extent of damage to his spinal cord.
Cooper’s twin brother, Luke, and mother, Keely Roberts, were also hospitalized after the Highland massacre, whereas the boy suffered shrapnel wounds while his mother was shot in the leg.
Luke has since already been discharged. The twins’ mother was also discharged after she demanded to see Cooper despite still being in a risky condition herself following her two surgeries.
“After she received her second surgery, and then she received news that Cooper’s spinal cord had been severed, she told her doctors and nurses that they should either discharge her, or she’d walk out on her own,” Loizzi explained.
Our thoughts are with the families of all Highland Park shooting victims.
Recommended Video For You!
Paralysed Car Crash Survivor Becomes Fitness Model | TRULY