The mother of Cooper Roberts, a 10-year-old boy who was left paralyzed after being shot in the 2022 Highland Park parade shooting, is providing an update on his journey as the family approaches two years since the tragedy.
“Everyday I’m aware of it,” Keely Roberts said. “It’s painful, its different, it’s never gonna go away.”
Roberts and her son were among the 48 people wounded in the shooting that also left seven people dead.
Cooper and his twin brother celebrated their birthday last week.
“He’s doing as well as he could probably be expected to do,” Roberts said. “I am so amazed by his ability to stay positive and to stay happy and to stay Cooper.”
But Roberts admits this summer has been hard for Cooper not being able to do what he used to do.
“This is an unbelievably difficult road that he’s on and I think that this summer, as positive and optimistic as he is, I think it’s been a hard summer to start to adjust,” Roberts said. “He is really aware of what he has lost.”
Her focus now is on the well-being of her six children as they continue their journey. She and other survivors and victims’ families faced the suspect in court last month after he rejected his plea deal.
Her community is now preparing to host Sweet Home Highland Park on Independence Day this year.
The seven victims killed will be honored during a remembrance ceremony Thursday morning followed by a parade that steps off from First Street and Laurel Avenue at 1 p.m.
“My family and I will not be attending the parade this year,” she said. “Truthfully, I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to attend the parade again.”
Roberts said she is doing her best to move forward with tremendous love from friends, neighbors and strangers.
“The moral of this story for us is going to be that love wins, that good is stronger than evil,” she said.
Her family is thankful for the community’s support and said they continue to raise money on GoFundMe to renovate their home to be more accessible for Cooper.