8-year-old boy paralyzed in Highland Park shooting still in ‘constant pain,’ family says

An 8-year-old boy who was paralyzed in the Highland Park mass shooting remains in “constant pain” as he tries to comprehend his new life, his family said.

Cooper Roberts was one of dozens of people injured when a gunman opened fire from a rooftop during the Chicago suburb’s Fourth of July parade. Seven people were killed. Robert Crimo III was charged in the massacre.

“There are layers upon layers of cruelty with being shot by a sniper. Most people don’t witness the grueling aftermath of surviving these devastating wounds, physical and emotional,” the Roberts family said Tuesday.

Cooper Roberts is struggling to eat, his family said. (GoFundMe.com/)

“Cooper is in constant pain. It is agonizing to see. He still has internal damage — wounds that are slow to heal. He is on a constant IV drip of antibiotics to ward off infection, has swelling that obscures the full internal picture, and suffers stomach pain as his body relearns to process mainly liquid food.”

Cooper’s injuries left him paralyzed from the waist down. He’s been undergoing physical therapy at a hospital and hasn’t been home for 43 days, his family said.

He still struggles to eat solid food, the family added, and can’t even stomach more than a bite or two of his favorite foods.

“He’s beginning to ask things like, ‘What will I do at recess?’ though it will be many weeks before he goes back to school,” they wrote. “It is very hard to convince Cooper that he will be happy again.”

The Roberts family has provided many updates on Cooper’s condition at a GoFundMe page.

“Every kindness makes him smile,” they said Tuesday. “We are so grateful for the gift, cards, prayers, and donations that will help carry us all through this very bleak period.”