Little Cooper became the unfair victim of 4th July shooting at Highland Park, Illinois. The little child is now more than happy to rejoin his classmates and on the first day at school, his parents recall crying tears of joy as their 8-year-old son wheeled himself into school.
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Eight-year-old Cooper Roberts suffered a terrible injury and got partially paralyzed in the Highland Park, Illinois mass shooting. The little child finally returned home and is more than happy to reunite with his classmates for the first time since the attack, his family said in a new statement Monday.
Cooper became the victim of the attack when he was enjoying the 4th July parade with his family and he was shot in the back. During this attack, seven people were killed and Cooper was among the ones who got injured. The suspected gunman was arrested.
Jason and Keely Roberts
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Cooper, now in a wheelchair, got to join his twin brother, Luke, at school this week, in what his parents call "an incredible milestone."
Jason and Keely Roberts said they cried in the parking lot as their 8-year-old son wheeled himself into school.
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They were so impressed to find that Cooper "loved every minute" of his return, the family said. Cooper told them: "If I had not been shot and paralyzed and had to be in a wheelchair, it would have been a perfect school day, but it was a really great day! I loved it!'"
But, his parents added, Cooper "is terribly sad about not getting to run around with his friends in the field at recess. He is heartbroken about not getting to play on the jungle gym, hang on the monkey bars, slide down the slide, swing on the swings, kick the ball. He can’t be there all day or even every day."
"Yet, Cooper continues to affirm for us that his spirit, his soul, his 'Cooperness' remains," they continued. "The hideous, evil act did not take that from him because he won’t let it. He is always going to be more concerned about others than he is for himself, find the positive in any situation, still be 'the sporty kid,' and will always love his family and friends fiercely."
Jason and Keely Roberts
The family added that Cooper's recovery is ongoing and his "transition back to school will be slow."
"The anxiety about all of the countless unknowns he will encounter … the endless 'what if' questions he thinks about … these run across his mind and ours literally all day long, like an endless reel of worry," the family said. "We all are learning how to cope with these components of our new reality."
Jason and Keely Roberts