Family of 8-Year Old Boy Shot in Highland Park Says He is "Hopeless, Sad and Angry"

8-year old Cooper Roberts is lucky to be alive. He was among 48 people who were wounded during the mass shooting at the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois. Cooper was shot in the back.

But the shooting has also left Cooper partially paralyzed and in constant pain. His family says that Cooper is "hopeless, sad and angry as the reality of his life is setting in."

This is an incredible burden for anyone to carry. For an 8-year old it's unfathomable. Further complicating matters is COVID protocols have limited contact with his family. That Cooper must endure this in near isolation could result in irreversible psychological damage. In the limited contact Cooper has had with his family they have said, "It is very hard to convince Cooper that he will be happy again."

I can only hope that Cooper can find the inner strength to cope with his burden to ease his physical pain and his mental anguish. Cooper may find it eventually but the journey will not be swift even if justice is done.