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8-Year-Old Paralyzed by Highland Park Shooter Shows Signs of Cognitive Decline

The boy is struggling with short-term memory loss, issues with word recovery, and loss of acuity around fine more skills, the family said Thursday.

The 8-year-old boy who was shot and paralyzed during a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, is showing signs of cognitive decline, his family said in a statement on Thursday. Cooper Roberts now struggles with short-term memory loss, word recovery, and has lost acuity around fine more skills, the statement said. The boy has been down a long recovery path since he was shot in the abdomen and paralyzed from the waist down. Roberts’ family said they were so focused on his other injuries after the shooting, they didn’t initially realize the amount of cognitive damage inflicted on him. Doctors are now completing a comprehensive neurological and psychological evaluation of the boy and working on new therapies, the statement said. Roberts was one of 48 people injured in the massacre that sent hundreds fleeing and left seven dead. Also among the injured was Roberts’ mother and twin brother, Luke, who sustained minor injuries. A GoFundMe set up to help his family with hospital costs has raised more than $2 million in just under two months.