Aiden, the little 2-year-old, who survived the Highland Park massacre under the bodies of his parents

Among those killed in the shooting are a couple, Irina and Kevin McCarthy, whose two-year-old son, Aiden, was saved by locals who took him to safety.

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Lauren Silva and her boyfriend were running through the crowd looking for survivors immediately after the parade shooting took place. July 4th from Highland Park, Chicago. They themselves had just become survivors of the massacre. Suddenly, Lauren he found a child in his arms, covered in blood, but alive. The bodies of his parents, Irina and Kevin McCarthyThey protected him and saved his life.

that morning Lauren Silva woke up wanting banana pancakes for breakfast, he told the DailyBeast. The two headed to a coffee shop across the street from where the 4th of July parade was to take place. The place was perfect to taste those pancakes. However, the dream turned into a nightmare when Lauren and her partner began to hear the explosions of the shots.

“It sounded like someone was banging on the glass doors. I didn’t hear a scream at all, it was eerie silence,” he told the newspaper. From one of the rooftops, Robert Crimo, 21, fired indiscriminately at the crowd that was enjoying the parade. killing 7 peopleincluding the parents of the child aiden.

“My boyfriend handed me this little boy and said he was under his father who had been shot in the leg,” Lauren Silva tells the DailyBeast. “They were trying to stop the bleeding, so I took the kid down to the garage.” Lauren and the child huddled together for safety, along with another family. “I kept asking if mom and dad are coming back soon,” she said.

The boy, who was still in diapers, had one shoe on, some scratches and a sock completely covered in blood. After cleaning up the kid’s cuts and being in the garage for about 20 minutes, Lauren I went back upstairs to inquire about the status of the little boy’s father. “That’s when my boyfriend told me he had died”.

Lauren left the child with the family they had taken refuge with in the garage. Greg and Dana Ringwho were in the parade, told WGN-TV that while fleeing the gunfire, they saw a woman carrying a child covered in blood.

“He asked us: ‘Can you take care of the child?’ We said, ‘Of course,’ and took it to our in-laws. he stayed watching cartoonsGreg Ring said. “And then we were told that a detective came and took care of the boy and he was reunited with his grandparents, that’s all we know.”

aiden He was reunited with his grandparents, but it was the North Shore community that wanted to get involved with the little one through a page of GoFundMe in which has been launched crowdfunding to help the little one and has already raised more than 1 million dollars.

“After the shooting in Highland Park, IL, on the 4th of July, the North Shore community came together to help a child we hadn’t heard from. We are taking him to safety under tragic circumstances, joining together to locate his grandparents and praying for his family’s safety,” the fundraising page stated.

“Unfortunately, I need to share his name… Aiden McCarthy. And he needs more of our help. His parents, Irina and Kevinwere killed during the 4th of July shooting,” it continued.

“On behalf of your family, and with your permission, I am establishing this fundraiser to support you and the caregivers who will be tasked with raising, caring for, and supporting your family.” aiden as he and his support system embark on this unexpected journey.”