Six of the people killed in the Fourth of July Highland Park shooting were identified on Tuesday as the death toll rose to seven.
The victims include Jacki Sondheim, 63, Steve Straus, 88, Nicholas Toledo Zaragosa, 78, Katherine Goldstein, 64, and husband and wife Kevin and Irina McCarthy, 37 and 35.
Jackie Sundheim, who worked as a teacher at the North Shore Congregation Israel synagogue, died after being shot by Robert Crimo.
“Jacki was a lifelong congregant of NSCI and a cherished member of NSCI’s staff team for decades,” the synagogue wrote. “Jacki’s work, kindness and warmth touched us all.”
The McCarthys leave behind a 2-year-old son, Aiden, who was found walking around alone after the tragic incident and is now living with his grandparents.
A GoFundMe page set up to help him has reached more than $1.2 million.
Nicolas Toledo, 76, died after he was shot in the head while sitting in his wheelchair. His granddaughter told the New York Times that he hadn’t wanted to go to the parade due to his disabilities but his family insisted that they should all go.
“We are all feeling pretty numb. We’re all pretty broken inside,” his granddaughter expressed.
According to reports, the death toll rose to seven after one of the 47 people who were left injured passed away in hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
The release of the names of the victims comes after a doctor described the victims as being ‘blown up’ by the gunman’s rifle.
Obstetrician Dr. David Baum, his wife and their children were attending the parade to watch his 2-year-old grandson when Robert Crimo opened fire.
Baum, who tried to help the victims, told CNN that he saw people with ‘unspeakable’ and ‘wartime’ injuries.
“The people who were gone were blown up by that gunfire,” he said. “The horrific scene of some of those bodies is unspeakable for the average person.
“Having been a physician, I’ve seen things in ERs, you know, you do see lots of blood. But the bodies were literally – some of the bodies – there was an evisceration injury from the power of this gun and the bullets.”
“There was another person who had an unspeakable head injury. Unspeakable,” he added.
The obstetrician said there were at least three doctors, a nurse and a nurse practitioner who also tried to help the victims.
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