A 69-year-old grandfather who had gone to the July 4 parade in Highland Park with several family members has become the seventh victim of the mass shooting.
Eduardo Uvaldo, from Waukegan, died on Wednesday morning in Evanston Hospital after succumbing to his injuries in hospital, two days on from the attack.
The victim was shot in the arm and the back of the head when alleged mass shooter Robert Crimo opened fire on the crowd of families, friends and local residents from his sniper position on the roof of a nearby business.
Mr Uvaldo’s granddaughter Nivia Guzman wrote on a heartbreaking GoFundMe page on Tuesday that doctors had told the family there was no longer anything they could do for Mr Uvaldo, who she affectionately referred to as “papi”.
Hours later, she said that they had been left with no choice but to turn off his ventilator.
On Wednesday morning, Ms Guzman then confirmed his death.
“Our papi has gone with his mami and papi. We thank you for your prayers and donations,” she wrote.
Mr Uvaldo’s family went to the July 4 parade together every year and this year had been no different until tragedy struck.
Ms Guzman said that her brother and grandmother were also shot in the attack but survived.
“As many of you may know by now, there was a mass shooting in Highland Park, IL during the Fourth of July Parade. A parade my family attends every year filled with happiness and laughter. This year was different, this year was filled with fear, sadness, and tragedy,” read the original GoFundMe.
“Both my grandparents, Maria and Eduardo Uvaldo, and younger brother were victims of the Highland Park Parade. My brother got shot in the arm, but is okay. My grandma got hit with fragments in the head. Unfortunately my grandpa got shot in the arm, then in the back of the head. He is in critical condition. My grandpa is a kind, loving, and funny man who did not deserve this.
“We pray for a positive outcome, but the doctors say the chances are low. With the unexpected incident, any donation will help. Thank you.”
In an update, she said that the family had “just received news that there is nothing left to do for our papi” as she said that donations would go towards helping her grandmother “when the time comes”.
Hours later, she said that her “papi” was “still here with us”.
“The doctors said there is nothing left to do based on where the bullet hit the brain. We took him off the ventilator,” she wrote.
“However, he continues to have stable vitals with no help. We pray for a miracle and ask that you pray for us as well.”
On Wednesday morning, the Cook County Coroner’s Office confirmed his death, making him the seventh victim to die in the massacre.
The other six victims were all identified on Tuesday as: Katherine Goldstein, 64; Irina McCarthy, 35; Kevin McCarthy, 37; Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63; Stephen Straus, 88; Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78, and Eduardo Uvaldo, 69.
Of the deceased victims, five adults died on the scene. A sixth adult succumbed to their injuries in a local hospital on Monday before Mr Uvaldo became the seventh victim to pass away on Wednesday.
There had been some confusion as to whether Mr Uvaldo was the seventh previously unnamed victim – or a new victim.
On Tuesday afternoon, Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek said that a seventh victim who had been hospitalised in a neighbouring county had also died but that their identity was not known at that time.
That evening, Lake County State Attorney Eric Rinehart announced that suspected killer Robert Crimo had been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder.
At that point, Mr Uvaldo was still alive but his family had been told by doctors there was nothing they could do.
The 69-year-old died on Wednesday morning, with his death announced by the Cook County Medical Examiner.
This initially sparked confusion that an eighth victim had succumbed to their injuries.
Steven Spagnolo, spokesperson for the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, later confirmed to The Independent on Wednesday that Mr Uvaldo is the seventh victim named on the indictment.
He acknowledged that there had been some confusion around the release of the seventh victim’s name.
