"He was saying 'mommy, daddy'": Couple who cared for orphaned toddler describe parade shooting aftermath
Dana and Gregory Ring grabbed their three young children and desperately ran for their lives as gunfire erupted at the Highland Park, Illinois, Fourth of July parade on Monday. The couple told CBS News' Adriana Diaz that the mood at the parade went from joyful to chaotic in seconds.
"It was almost as if a light switch flipped and everyone just started running for cover," Dana Ring said.
In the chaos, the Rings said they found themselves caring for a toddler who was found wandering alone.
"He was saying, 'mommy, daddy,' so I went back up to look for his mom and dad and then I saw the scene, the carnage," Gregory Ring said.
That toddler was 2-year-old Aiden McCarthy. His parents, Kevin and Irina McCarthy, were among the seven people killed in Monday's mass shooting. Witnesses said that Kevin died shielding Aiden.
A detective later picked up Aiden and reunited him with his grandparents.
A fundraiser set up to help Aiden has raised about $2.9 million since it was created on Tuesday.
Investigators say the suspect, Robert Crimo III, took aim and fired 83 rounds at spectators from a rooftop. They say he picked July 4 because he had an affinity for the numbers 4 and 7, but would not get into any possible motive. Despite previous encounters with police, the alleged gunman passed four background checks in 2020 and 2021 as he amassed an arsenal of five firearms.
After the shooting, police say the suspect drove two and a half hours to Madison, Wisconsin, where he contemplated carrying out another attack. The suspect was later apprehended in a traffic stop after returning to Illinois. Police say he confessed to the shooting.
He's being held without bond, charged with seven counts of first-degree murder, and more charges are expected to be filed against him in the coming weeks.
The Rings said they are furious that the shooting happened in the first place.
"Children should not be running from Fourth of July parades in the Midwest — or anywhere," Gregory said.