CERT member describes 'volley of bullets' hitting paradegoers: 'worst you could ever imagine'
CERT member describes 'volley of bullets' hitting Highland Park paradegoers
They call themselves "The CERTs" — and normally, they do things like traffic control and crowd management. But they are trained in CPR and emergency medical response. That's training one 16-year member said he's never had to use until Monday.
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. - They call themselves "The CERTs" — Certified Emergency Response Team — and normally, they do things like traffic control and crowd management.
But they are trained in CPR and emergency medical response. That's training one 16-year member said he's never had to use until Monday.
"It was just the worst, horrific moment of my life," said Eddi Rush, who was right under the location where the shooter opened fire, describing it as a "volley of bullets" hitting dozens of people lining the south side of the street.
"People were just falling in a row," he said.
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Among them: a mother hit by three bullets laying on top of her two 8-year-old twins to protect them.
Rush said one of the twins was shot in the back and critically wounded, and the mother was losing consciousness as he and others applied tourniquets.
He said the other twin didn't appear to be hit.
"I'll never forget his face. He was just hysterical. He kept saying 'don't let my mommy die, don't let my mommy die. Don't let her lips turn blue like my brother.' It was the worst you could ever imagine."
He also saw the toddler who had just lost both his parents. "Both were shot laying there next to each other, holding on to each other. That boy was right there until he took off running," Rush said.
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"It still doesn't seem real. I still expect to wake up from a nightmare and for it to be over," said Shane Selig, another CERT Volunteer who helped in the immediate aftermath. "Some of the children that were sheltering in some of the business crying and asking if they were doing to die."
This is not confirmed by authorities, but CERT team responders estimate about half a dozen children are injured and hospitalized right now, most of them hit in their feet or by bullet fragments. The team tells FOX 32 a boy, estimated to be 8 years old, did have some very serious injuries to his back and chest and remains hospitalized.