A couple who took care of an orphaned toddler describes the aftermath of a parade shooting

Dana and Gregory Ring grabbed their children and ran desperately for their lives when gunfire broke out at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade in Illinois on Monday.

Kimberly White
Kimberly White
07 July 2022 Thursday 14:20
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A couple who took care of an orphaned toddler describes the aftermath of a parade shooting

Dana and Gregory Ring grabbed their children and ran desperately for their lives when gunfire broke out at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade in Illinois on Monday. Adriana Diaz, CBS News' Adriana Ring, said that the mood at Monday's parade changed from joyous to chaotic within seconds.

Dana Ring stated, "It was almost like a light switch had flipped and everyone just ran for cover."

The Rings claimed that they were able to care for a child who had wandered off by himself in the chaos.

Gregory Ring stated, "He was saying, ‘mommy daddy’ so I went back up and looked for his mom and father and then I saw what had happened, the carnage."

Aiden McCarthy, 2 years old, was the toddler. Irina and Kevin McCarthy, his parents, were among those killed in Monday's massacre. Witnesses claimed that Kevin died protecting Aiden.

Aiden was later reunited with his grandparents by a detective.

Since Tuesday's creation, a fundraiser to aid Aiden has raised approximately $2.9 million.

Police say that the suspect drove for two and a quarter hours to Madison, Wisconsin after the shooting. He was thought to be planning another attack. After returning to Illinois, the suspect was arrested in a traffic stop. According to police, he admitted to the shooting.

He is currently being held without bail and charged with seven counts first-degree murder. Additional charges will be brought against him over the next few weeks.

The Rings claimed that they were furious at the fact that the shooting took place in the first instance.

Gregory stated that children should not run from Fourth of July parades in Midwest -- or anywhere else.