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Mom of youngest victim in Highland Park parade shooting speaks out year after tragic attack

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Updated  July 4, 2023 9:57am CDT
Highland Park
FOX 32 Chicago

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. - Tuesday marks one year since the deadly rampage at Highland Park's Fourth of July parade. Seven people died and scores more were injured.

There will be no parade Tuesday. Instead, a remembrance for those who suffered and those who survived, like nine-year-old Cooper Roberts.

"He really is just tackling life head on, and his being alive is a miracle," said Keely Roberts, Cooper's mother.

Cooper was paralyzed from the waist down after both he and his mother were shot while attending last year's parade. A 21-year-old gunman fired scores of bullets from a rooftop perch above the parade route.

Mom of youngest victim in Highland Park parade shooting speaks out on anniversary

Cooper Roberts was paralyzed from the waist down after both he and his mother were shot while attending last years parade.

But after a year of struggles, the Roberts family remains optimistic.

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"As we get really close to an anniversary that is going to be a hard day, that there is still a lot to celebrate in them," Keely said. "And that this isn't about the destruction of our lives. It's about the starting of a new chapter."

Healing will be the theme as Highland Park has scheduled a number of events to commemorate the victims, starting with a remembrance ceremony at 10 a.m. in front of City Hall.

At 11 a.m., there will be a community walk stepping off at St. Johns and Elm Streets. Officials say walkers need to register online to participate.

Cooper Roberts | Provided

At noon, there will be an Independence Day community picnic at Sunset Woods Park.

And at 7:30 Tuesday evening, the Lt. Dan Band will perform at Wolters Field, followed by the "We Are Highland Park" drone show at 9:30 p.m.

Security will be extremely tight, and some of the streets in downtown Highland Park will be closed, including part of the parade route where the shooting occurred last year.

Scott Tinkoff and his wife and two young sons have tried to turn the trauma of what they witnessed last year into positive action.

Tinkoff and his wife joined the nonprofit "One Aim," which has worked to pass gun control legislation in Illinois.

"The reason I got involved immediately after the shooting, wanted to try and turn one of the most horrific days possible into something positive," Tinkoff said.

The accused gunman remains behind bars in Lake County awaiting trial on 21 counts of first-degree murder. His trial date is expected to be set when he next appears in court in September.