‘CRITICAL BUT STABLE’

8-Year-Old Highland Park Victim’s Spinal Cord Severed by Gunman’s Bullet

Cooper Roberts is believed to be paralyzed from the waist down; his brother and mother were also injured in the July 4 shooting.

An 8-year-old boy attending the Highland Park parade on the Fourth of July was shot and is now confirmed to be paralyzed from the waist down, a spokesperson for the family said Thursday. Cooper Roberts was shot in the chest by the gunman, with the bullet severing his spinal cord. He remains in “critical but stable” condition at an Illinois hospital, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He was at the Monday parade with his family, including his mother and twin brother, who were also wounded during the shooting. Both are now recovering, and Cooper is still “fighting as hard as he can,” according to a GoFundMe set up to aid the Roberts family with medical and therapy costs. The boy, who is sedated and on a ventilator, has had to endure several surgeries so far, according to spokesperson Anthony Loizzi. “It’s going to be a new normal for him going forward,” Loizzi said.