Remembering the Victims of the Highland Park July 4 Parade Massacre

At least seven people were killed Monday and dozens of others were injured when a gunman fired into the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park with a high-powered rifle.

A memorial was erected Thursday in the Chicago suburb’s downtown with images of the victims surrounded by flowers. Community members have built an ever-growing list of resources and ways to help as they take steps to cope with this tragedy and police continue to investigate.

The gunman escaped after the shooting and drove to Madison, Wisconsin, where he “seriously contemplated” but did not carry out another attack, officials said. He later was arrested in his car.

He has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder, according to Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart.

Here are short profiles of the women and men who died:

Katherine Goldstein, 64, Highland Park

Katie Goldstein was at the parade with her daughter Cassie Goldstein, who told NBC Nightly News that she thought at first that the gunfire was fireworks. But then she looked up and saw the shooter firing down on the children.

“And I told her that it was a shooter and that she had to run,” Cassie Goldstein said.

They both ran, next to each other, but her mother was shot in the chest and fell, Cassie Goldstein said.

“I knew she was dead,” Cassie Goldstein said. I “just told her that I loved her, but I couldn’t stop, because he was still shooting everyone next to me. So, I just kept running, and I hid behind a trash can.”

When the shooting stopped, she went back to her mother.

Katie Goldstein had been mourning her mother’s recent death and wanted to have some fun when she decided to attend the holiday parade, Cassie Goldstein said.

The day before, they had gone to the botanic gardens, got Dairy Queen and went to a movie. On the day of the parade, “My mom was waving to the floats as they walked by,” Cassie Goldstein said. “She was having a good time.”

“And I got to have 22 years with the best mom in the world,” Cassie Goldstein said. “I did everything with her. She was my best friend.”

Katie Goldstein’s husband, Craig, told NBC Nightly News, “I can’t believe how many best friends Katie has.”

“Katie was the kindest, gentlest person you’d ever meet.”

“She was really selfless, and seemingly always upbeat,” he said. “… She touched so many people in a positive way,” he said.

Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35, of Highland Park

Kevin McCarthy died protecting his 2-year-old son, Aiden, according McCarthy’s father-in-law Michael Levberg.

“He had Aiden under his body when he was shot,” Levberg, Irina McCarthy’s father, told the Chicago Sun-Times.

The child was found alive and alone on the parade route and is now safely with relatives. When they were reunited at a police station, he asked, “’Are Mommy and Daddy coming soon?’ Levberg said. “He doesn’t understand.”

Kevin McCarthy was remembered as a “star employee” with an “incredible work ethic,” said Joe Nolan, the chief executive officer of Jaguar Gene Therapy, where McCarthy worked.

“Outside of work he was a very proud dad and devoted husband who adored his family,” Nolan wrote. “We will miss him tremendously.”

Irina McCarthy’s childhood friend, Angela Vella, described her as fun, personable and “somewhat of a tomboy” who still liked to dress up.

The couple were graduates of DePaul University in Chicago, according to DePaul spokesman Russell Dorn. She earned a bachelor of science degree in finance in 2009. Her husband earned the same degree two years later.

“They were crazy about their child,” Levberg told the newspaper. “They were planning two.”

Stephen Straus, 88, of Highland Park

Stephen Straus, 88, was a financial advisor who commuted to his office in downtown Chicago five days a week, his relatives told the Chicago Tribune.

The family patriarch, he was “curious about the world,” his son Peter Straus said.

He liked to paint as a hobby and visit the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Art Institute of Chicago.

He is survived by his wife Linda, his children Jonathan and Peter, and four grandchildren.

Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63, of Highland Park

A former preschool teacher and a member of the North Shore Congregation Israel, Jacki Sundheim was praised for her “tireless dedication” in a statement from the synagogue. 

“Jacki’s work, kindness and warmth touched us all, from her early days teaching at the Gates of Learning Preschool to guiding innumerable among us through life’s moments of joy and sorrow as our Events and B’nei Mitzvah Coordinator — all of this with tireless dedication,” read the statement from the synagogue, which is in nearby Glencoe.

Her friend, Sherri Goodman, told NBC Chicago that Sundheim had helped to plan the bat mitzvahs for Goodman’s three daughters. 

“Always with a smile, a hug, a Band-Aid,” Goodman said. 

Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 88, of Highland Park and Morelos, Mexico

Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78, attended Highland Park’s July 4 parade only because his family did not want to leave him at home alone,

He used a walker and was worried about the crowds, his granddaughter, Xochil Toledo, said. Toledo described him as a loving man, creative, adventurous and funny.

She remembers looking over at her grandfather, who was sitting amongst his family, as a band passed them.

“He was so happy,” she said. “Happy to be living in the moment.”

They didn’t realize someone had opened fire on the crowd until bullets started coming toward them. Three struck her grandfather, killing him on the spot, she said.

Toledo-Zaragoza came to Illinois from Mexico to visit his family about two months ago, but stayed because of injuries he had received when he was hit by a car a couple of years ago during an earlier stay in Highland Park. The family wanted him to stay permanently.

Her grandfather had a big smile and bright blue eyes that stood out, Xochil Toledo said. He had eight children, most in the United States and others in Mexico.

He preferred a home-cooked meal to eating out, enjoyed fishing and liked to take walks around Highland Park, Toledo said.

“He never wanted to be inside. He always wanted to be outside,” she said.

“He was a sweet, caring grandfather,” she said. “He wanted only the best for his kids and children.”

Eduardo Uvaldo, 69, of Waukegan

Eduardo Uvaldo was taken to Evanston Hospital after the shooting on Monday but later was declared dead.

Uvaldo attended the parade with his wife and other family members ahead of his 70th birthday on Friday, July 8. His wife and grandson were also wounded but have since been released from the hospital, according to NBC Chicago.

His daughter Susanna said he was a kind and loving man.

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