GoFundMe raises over $3 million for 2-year-old orphaned in Highland Park shooting

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• More than $3 million in donations have been raised for a toddler whose parents were both killed in a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois.
• Two-year-old Aiden McCarthy was found wandering alone in the area after the shooting.
• The boy, who is not injured, was reunited with his grandparents at a hospital.

A GoFundMe campaign set up to help two-year-old Aiden McCarthy has raised more than $3 million since its creation on Tuesday. Both of Aiden’s parents were killed in Monday’s deadly shooting during a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois.

As of Wednesday morning, GoFundMe has raised $2.12 million for the orphaned boy.

Aiden’s parents — Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35 — were among those killed during the deadly shooting. The boy was separated from his parents during the chaos.

Dana and Greg Ring told CBS Chicago that they found Aiden with a stranger, who was obviously in shock. They took the toddler and looked after him until a Highland Park police detective picked him up and reunited him with his grandparents at a hospital.

The fundraiser’s organizer, Irina Colon, noted that she created the campaign with permission from the boy’s family. Aiden wasn’t injured in the mass shooting.

“I am establishing this fundraiser to support him and the caregivers who will be tasked with raising, caring for, and supporting Aiden as he and his support system embark on this unexpected journey,” Colon wrote.

She added, “Aiden will be cared for by his loving family and he will have a long road ahead to heal, find stability, and ultimately navigate life as an orphan.”

The fundraiser has since attracted almost 40,000 donations as of this writing.

The suspected shooter, Robert Crimo III was arrested Monday evening and has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder.

Source: Newsweek