The grandfather of a two-year-old boy orphan who lost both of his parents in the July 4 Highland Park shooting has spoken out about his grandson's first comments after the attack.

Last week, 35-year-old Irina McCarthy and 37-year-old Kevin McCarthy took their two-year-old son, Aiden, to watch the Fourth of July celebrations in Highland Park, Illinois.

However, as crowds gathered along Central Avenue to watch the Independence Day parade, a gunman opened fire on the crowd shortly after 10:00AM.

The shooter was positioned on a nearby rooftop and shot "randomly" into the crowd.

Dozens of people were injured in the attack, and seven people tragically lost their lives. Two of those killed were Irina and Kevin McCarthy.

Aiden’s paternal grandmother Margo McCarthy, had also joined the family for the day's celebrations. She was left seriously injured after being struck in the neck and an ear by a bullet.

Fortunately, young Aiden was not injured in the attack, with PEOPLE reporting that dad Kevin used his body to shield his son from danger. CBS Chicago adds that a bystander grabbed the little boy in an effort to remove him from the chaos, and Aiden was eventually handed off to another family.

Over the next few hours, Aiden's picture was circulated across social media in an effort to reunite him with family members.

Before the end of the day, Aiden was reunited with his grandfather, Michael Levberg, who was in another part of the city when he learned about the tragic events at the parade.

Speaking to the Chicago Sun-Times, Levberg recalled the moment he saw Aiden's image being circulated online. "A neighbor passed by, she showed me the picture, it was Aiden," he said. "I picked him up at the police station."

After being reunited with his grandson, Levberg revealed that Aiden looked at him and said: "Mommy and Daddy are coming soon."

After news of Aiden's story broke, a GoFundMe was set up by Irina Colon, who reportedly organized the fundraiser page with the family's permission.

In its description, Colon writes: "In the aftermath of the Highland Park, IL shootings on July 4, the North Shore community rallied to help a boy who we knew nothing about. We took him to safety under tragic circumstances, came together to locate his grandparents, and prayed for the safety of his family."

Colon adds: "At two years old, Aiden is left in the unthinkable position; to grow up without his parents.

"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. He is surrounded by a community of friends and extended family that will embrace him with love, and any means available to ensure he has everything he needs as he grows."

She adds that the fundraiser was started in order to help support Aiden and his future caregivers, "who will be tasked with raising, caring for, and supporting Aiden as he and his support system embark on this unexpected journey."

As of this writing, more than $3.1 million has been raised for Aiden.

In an update, Colon thanked everybody who had donated, adding: "The family of Aiden would like everyone to know that he is being loved and spoiled by all those who are close to him.

"We will be keeping this GoFundMe open as we have heard from many around the world that this is providing some form of healing for such a senseless act. No one should ever have to endure this kind of loss especially at such a young age.

"Every cent of this GoFundMe will go to the care of Aiden and his future. We are all extremely grateful and overwhelmed by the outpouring of love from across the entire world."

Colon added that the family plans on recording all the comments from well-wishers in a book, so Aiden knows just how much he is loved.

Our thoughts continue to go out to everybody affected by this tragedy.

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A two-year-old boy has been left an orphan after both of his parents were killed in the Highland Park shooting on Monday.

As reported by Sky News, a photo of two-year-old Aiden McCarthy was shared in Chicago-based social media groups after he was found at the scene of the shooting.

The toddler was alone and bloodied, with the boy's image being shared with pleas to help identify him and reunite him with his loved ones.

Tragically, it has now been reported that Adien's parents - 35-year-old Irina McCarthy and 37-year-old Kevin McCarthy - were among the six people killed when a gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop. The shooting occurred just after 10:00AM, as members of the public gathered to enjoy the Fourth of July festivities.

The attack has left seven people dead and dozens injured.

Christopher Covelli, a spokesperson for the Lake County Major Crime Task Force, described the gunman's attack as "intentional", with the victims being selected at "random".

A GoFundMe set up by Irina Colon states: "In the aftermath of the Highland Park, IL shootings on July 4, the North Shore community rallied to help a boy who we knew nothing about. We took him to safety under tragic circumstances, came together to locate his grandparents, and prayed for the safety of his family."

Colon adds: "At two years old, Aiden is left in the unthinkable position; to grow up without his parents."

The fundraiser was set up in order to raise enough money to help support Aiden and his future caregivers throughout the rest of his life.

"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. He is surrounded by a community of friends and extended family that will embrace him with love, and any means available to ensure he has everything he needs as he grows," the description reads.

Four other victims who were killed in Tuesday's attack have been named as Katherine Goldstein, 64, Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63, Stephen Straus, 88, and Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78.

The seventh victim has not been named as of this writing.

Per The Independent, 21-year-old Robert E. Crimo III was taken into custody by police on Monday evening shortly after being named as a "person of interest" connected with the shooting.

Officials have confirmed that Crimo has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder - with more charges expected to follow.

If found guilty, Crimo is expected to serve a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Our thoughts continue to go out to everybody affected by this tragedy.

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On Monday of this week, in the quiet town of Fountain Hills, Arizona, a 72-year-old man was shot dead by his elderly mother in a violent attack. The murderer, 92-year-old Anna Mae Blessing, apparently made the decision to kill her son after beginning to suspect that he had plans to move her into an assisted living facility.

Blessing appeared in court on Tuesday in order to be charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault, and kidnapping, and her bond was set at half a million dollars.

Now, after details and statements from the case have reached the press, people have been stunned to hear about the sheer heartlessness of the slaying.

When Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies received a call to the scene of the crime on Monday morning, they had no idea what to expect. When they arrived, they found the 72-year-old - who has not been named - with multiple gunshot wounds. It is not clear whether or not he was already dead by the time they got there.

Blessing had apparently been contemplating taking action against her son for some time and, after an argument that morning, she entered his room with two handguns concealed in her robe. When the row started up again, she shot him.

Also at the scene was the victim's unnamed girlfriend, whom Blessing had also attacked.

According to reports, the nonagenarian had turned her attention on the other woman after shooting her son. The two grappled for a bit as the girlfriend tried to wrestle both guns off of her partner's mother, and narrowly escaped being shot herself in the process.

"It is always concerning when domestic issues escalate to violence or tragic outcomes," said Sheriff Penzone, who is working on the case. "They are often isolated and neither predictable nor preventable."

After committing the violent attack, Blessing apparently showed no remorse.

"As the suspect was being escorted from the residence, she made a spontaneous statement to the effect of 'You took my life, so I'm taking yours,'" court documents said.

Despite this, some individuals on Twitter appear to believe that setting such a high bond for the 92-year-old was unfair, as she is unlikely to be a threat to anyone else given her age and frailty.

"Poor thing. How they gonna set her bail so high? She’s not a threat to the community," wrote one Twitter user.

"No one knows who was the bad one," added another. "Bullying the elderly is real. No one can judge. At 92, who truly knows her situation, until then pray for her and HELP HER! So sad to hear this. I looked after my elders when I was only a kid."

Others, however, reminded people that - regardless of her age - the woman was a killer.

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Needless to say, the old woman will most likely spend the remainder of her days behind bars for her horrific crime - something she'll no doubt find worse than any assisted living facility would have been.

A court date for her sentencing has not yet been set.

A nine-year-old boy who had been out camping at an Iowa state park with his mother, father, and six-year-old sister managed to survive a shooting that sadly claimed the lives of the rest of his family.

The victims were identified by the Iowa Department of Public Safety as parents, 42-year-old Tyler Schmidt and 42-year-old Sarah Schmidt, and their six-year-old daughter, Lula Schmidt.

The three, all of Cedar Falls, Iowa, were found dead in their tent early on Friday at the Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground, about 180 miles east of Des Moines.

Police said the suspect, 23-year-old Anthony Sherwin, was also found dead on Friday in a wooded area of the park. He is believed to have fatally shot himself.

Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Department of Public Safety's division of criminal investigation, told The Associated Press on Saturday that authorities were unaware of the motive for the shooting.

“We don’t know what led up to this, what precipitated it,” he said, adding that thus far, "the investigation has not revealed any early interaction between the Schmidt family and him."

Adam Morehouse, Sarah Schmidt's brother, believes the family did not know Sherwin and said it must have been a "completely random act."

In a post to Facebook on Friday, Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green said that the deceased couple's son, nine-year-old Arlo, "survived the attack, and is safe."

He wrote in full: "This morning, while camping at Maquoketa Caves State Park, our neighbor and Cedar Falls Public Library employee Sarah Schmidt, along with her husband Tyler, and daughter Lula (age 6) lost their lives to a 23-year old gunman who then took his own life.

"Like many of you just hearing the news, I'm devastated. I knew Sarah well, and she and her family were regular walkers here in the Sartori Park neighborhood. I was working with her this week on a public library tech presentation for 7/26.

"Their 9 year old son Arlo survived the attack, and is safe. I've notified neighbors, and for those of you just learning about this through this post, I am so sorry. Details will be forthcoming about services and other memorials, and I will ensure the community knows about this.

"Please offer some extra grace to the Schmidts' many friends, neighbors, and coworkers as we try to process this horrible tragedy. The Cedar Falls Library will be closed tomorrow for the sake of the staff who loved and worked with Sarah."

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A brave nine-year-old girl called 911 after watching her father kill her entire family.

The dad turned up to his daughter's birthday party uninvited where he fatally shot her mother and two sisters before turning the gun on himself.

On Monday night, NYPD officers responded to the little girl's harrowing 911 call bout the murder-suicide, per NBC News. The tragic incident occurred at about 11:30PM at a Brooklyn apartment building in the 360 block of Sutter Avenue.

Upon arrival, the cops discovered two deceased victims in the hallway and one in the living room. All three of the victims had been pronounced dead at the scene, NBC News reports.

The three victims were identified as Rasheeda Barzey, 45, and her two daughters Solei Spears, 20, and Chloe Spears, 16.

The perpetrator, identified as 46-year-old Joseph McCrimon, was found dead on the sidewalk near the apartment. He succumbed to his injuries after shooting himself, the authorities said.

According to the Associated Press, two guns were found near his body.

NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig told the Associated Press that Barzey and McCrimon were the parents of the nine-year-old girl and had been together for 20 years.

McCrimon's other two victims were Barzey's daughters whom she shared with a different father. Their surviving nine-year-old sister has not been identified. The family were celebrating her birthday when the shooting occurred.

After dialing 911, she told the dispatcher: "Daddy's coming from my birthday... he didn't bring presents," Essig revealed to AP.

"It’s really heart-wrenching," he said of the tragic incident.

There had been no known incidents of domestic violence between Barzey and McCrimons and there had been no previous emergency calls. However, Essig explained to the outlet their relationship was "very rocky."

"We know he left in an agitated state to meet her," Essig said, according to AP.

Per AP, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, who reviewed footage from the officers’ body cameras, said seeing the nine-year-old who called 911 "would tear your heart out."

McCrimons had once been convicted of manslaughter and was in state prison for more than eight years, according to jail records. He was released in 2003.

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