The Jewish victims of the Highland Park shooting - The Jewish Chronicle

The Jewish community in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park is in mourning after a lone gunman fired repeatedly at a Fourth of July parade.

Seven people were killed and dozens left wounded after the attack on Monday morning which began as a local klezmer band played.

Three of those killed are believed to be Jewish. They include Jacki Sundheim, a staff member of the North Shore Congregation Israel, Illinois. She had been a life-long member of the synagogue, where she had worked for decades as a pre-school teacher and later as an events and B’nei Mitzvah Coordinator.

Victim Jacki Sundheim

Victim: Jacki Sundheim

A two-year-old has also been left orphaned after both of his parents were killed in the attack. Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Russian Jew Irina McCarthy, 35 had brought their son, Aiden, to the parade but were shot by the gunman, leaving him alone and bloodied in the chaos. After the boy was taken to a police station he was eventually reunited with his grandfather, Michael Levberg.

A third Jewish victim, 88-year-old Stephen Strauss, was also murdered in the attack.
The suspect, 21-year-old Robert E Crimo III, is being held in custody. He is thought to have previously visited the Chabad Central Avenue Synagogue in Spring 2022. The synagogue is located on the same road as the parade where the atrocity took place.