The second victim of the July 4 Highland Park shooting rampage that left six people dead has been named as a teacher at a synagogue.
A gunman opened fire during the celebration, unleashing a spray of bullets on the gathering, killing Jacki Sundheim, a longstanding employee of North Shore Congregation Israel, the synagogue stated in an email to members Monday night.
In an email announcing her death, the synagogue stated: “Jacki was a beloved member of NSCI’s staff team for decades and a lifetime congregant.”
We were all affected by Jackie’s work, generosity, and friendliness.
According to the Reform synagogue’s website, Sundheim coordinated celebrations and b’nei mitzvahs.
According to the Times of Israel, she is survived by her husband Bruce and daughter Leah.
The synagogue continued, “There are no words to express the depth of our sorrow over Jacki’s passing.”
A loved Mexican grandfather who was sitting in his wheelchair when he was shot in the head and his blood spattered on them earlier on Monday evening has been named as one of the fatalities.
According to his granddaughter, Nicolas Toledo, 76, declined to go to the Highland Park, Illinois, march.
However, due to his physical limitations that forced him to use a wheelchair and his family’s demand that he go, he complied.
Less than 15 minutes after the parade started, the shooting started. Six victims—five adults—died at the procession and one more passed away in the hospital.
There were 26 injured people in total, ranging in age from eight to 85, and six of them are currently requiring hospital care.
Although there is a sizable Jewish community in the region, police have not yet disclosed a potential reason for Monday’s massacre.
Police captured 22-year-old Robert “Bobby” Crimo III after a lengthy manhunt.
Pictures from the incident show the suspected mass murderer being pushed to the ground face-down by police.
He has previously made spooky videos online about shooting massacres.
Cops claim that Crimo started shooting from a rooftop towards a throng, who initially mistook the sound of gunshots for Fourth of July fireworks.
Toledo’s granddaughter Xochil Toledo told The Times, “We were all in shock.” “We believed it to be a parade.”
Then we discovered our granddad was hit. We witnessed blood and had everything thrown at us.
Toledo, according to family relatives, was shot three times. She claimed that although two further family members were shot, their wounds weren’t life-threatening.
Toledo, a citizen of Mexico with dual citizenship in Mexico and the United States, had recently returned to Highland Park at the urging of his family.
Xochil stated, “We brought him over here so he might have a better life.
“This tragedy happened just as his sons wanted to take care of dad and be more involved in his life.”
The accounts of witnesses who observed youngsters being picked off in the mob are now coming in.
According to Josefina Toledo, Toledo’s daughter, “We all threw ourselves on the ground.”
My father was seated on his walker when he was struck in the back and the head since it is difficult for him to walk.
She claimed that the whole family attended the parade because it was a family tradition.
But when bullets were fired, the party came to an end.
One of her nieces’s boyfriends was shot as well, although he is doing OK.
Dever Elementary teacher Zoe Kolpack was shot during the incident, according to a tweet from the Chicago Teachers Union.
According to a GoFundMe page, her husband, her father, and her brother-in-law were also shot.
All four of the people are hospitalized and having various procedures for their wounds, a family friend posted on the page. Their health status is unclear.
There is still little information available regarding the additional casualties, however the Lake County coroner has confirmed that the five people who were pronounced dead at the site were all adults.
Eduardo Uvaldo, who according to a GoFundMe page was shot in the arm and then the back of the head, is thought to be another victim.
According to Uvaldo’s family’s social media posts, he is in critical condition.
“This is not what my grandfather, who is a kind, kind, and hilarious man, deserved. The GoFundMe page stated, “We pray for a happy outcome, but the doctors warn the chances are poor.
Maria, Eduardo’s wife, was struck in the head by flying debris, and his grandson was shot in the arm but is recovering well.
The page’s author, Eduardo’s granddaughter, claimed that every Fourth of July, the family went to that procession.
The sixth victim, who passed away at a local hospital, is still unidentified in terms of age.
One who was sent to a nearby hospital also passed away there, according to the report.
According to Jennifer Banek of the Lake County coroner’s office, “I don’t have any other information on that victim.”
According to reports, the attacker started shooting from the rooftop of a nearby company.
Police think he climbed to the roof using a ladder in an alley.
Sgt. Chris Covelli of the Lake County Major Crime Take Force said, “It appears access to the roof via a ladder in an alley was unsafe.”
The ladder was fixed to the structure.
At the parade, witnesses reported seeing youngsters being shot.
“Suddenly, everyone in our rear started sprinting. When I turned to look, I noticed a girl who had been shot and murdered about 20 feet behind me. I saw her die.
I’ve never seen anything like this, a woman who spoke to CNN and went by the name of Zoe said.
Adults have been involved in every confirmed death to date.
Many witnesses claimed they initially mistook the sound of gunshots for Fourth of July fireworks when they heard several rounds being fired quickly in succession.
Everyone believed it to be fireworks, according to Zoe. “My dad believed it to be a segment of the show, but I told him, “Dad, no… something is wrong.”
I then seized him. When I turned to face him again, there was a sea of panic, and people kept falling.
It “sounded like a series of firecrackers going off inside of a big metal trash can,” according to Jeff Leon, who was also at the procession.
He asserts that he heard 20 or 30 pops at most before witnessing people fall to the ground and police advancing.
He claimed that after approximately 10 minutes of this game of “duck and hide, duck and hide,” people started to peacefully leave the scene.
One parent, who survived with his children, continued, “I saw numerous lifeless bodies, individuals in a pool of blood.” He claimed to have dumped his son in a trash can.
On May 24, a school shooting in Uvalde claimed the lives of 19 people. Since then, President Biden has been advocating for gun control.
He declared that he had supported the mayor of Highland Park and the governor of Illinois, and he had recently celebrated the passage of a gun control bill.
According to Biden, “I recently signed into law the first significant bipartisan gun reform legislation in in thirty years, which includes provisions that will save lives.”
However, there is still a ton of work to be done, and I will continue to combat the scourge of gun violence.
There are no words to describe the kind of monster who waits and opens fire on a throng of families with children who are celebrating a holiday with their community, according to Governor JB Pritzker, who also spoke out against the atrocity.
“There are no words to describe the kind of wickedness that deprives our neighbors of their futures, hopes, and dreams.
I am at a loss for words to ease the suffering of those they leave behind. We must – and we will – put an end to this gun violence epidemic, and I will stand firm alongside Americans and Illinoisans in this.