July 4 parade attack victim remembered for love of family

Jul 9, 2022, 9:42 AM | Updated: Jul 11, 2022, 9:23 am

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) — Friends, neighbors and dignitaries paid their respects Saturday to the family of Eduardo Uvaldo, one of the seven people who were killed in the attack on a July Fourth parade near Chicago.

Uvaldo, who would have turned 70 on Friday, was a native of Mexico who first moved to the United States when he was 15. In an obituary, he was remembered for his love of his large family — he was survived by his wife, Maria, four daughters, four siblings, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

“He was funny, charming, handsome, caring, and most importantly loving,” his obituary read. “His presence brought happiness to each family member.”

Outside the visitation at The Memorial Chapel of Waukegan, attendee Lilia Cervantes told reporters that she had known Uvaldo for 20 years and had worked with him for 11 years.

“It’s a very difficult time for family and co-workers,” she said in Spanish. “He was very kind.”

Uvaldo’s wife and 13-year-old grandson, Brian Franco Hogan, were wounded in the attack and are still recovering, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Relative Jesse Palacios attended the private service and called Uvaldo “a happy man,” the newspaper reported.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him sad,” Palacios said.

Among those who paid their respects Saturday were Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Lieutenant Gov. Juliana Stratton, Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering and Highland Park’s police chief, Lou Jogmen.

Uvaldo died Wednesday at an Evanston hospital from wounds suffered during the attack on the parade.

Separate funerals were held Friday for three of the other victims — 63-year-old Jacquelyn Sundheim, 88-year-old Stephen Straus and 78-year-old Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, who, like Uvaldo, was from Waukegan, a city north of Highland Park along the Lake Michigan coast.

Funeral details for the others killed in the attack haven’t been made public. Authorities have identified them as 64-year-old Katherine “Katie” Goldstein and a married couple, 35-year-old Irina McCarthy and 37-year-old Kevin McCarthy, who were attending the parade with their 2-year-old son.

Police say the victims were shot at random and that the assailant had no racial or religious motivation.

“This is what I can’t understand: how this keeps happening,” Palacios said, referring to mass shootings in the U.S.

His sister, Ophelia Palacios, said she wonders “what was running through” the shooter’s mind.

“Why did he do it?” she asked.

Robert E. Crimo III has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors expect to bring more charges representing the more than 30 people were wounded in the attack.

Investigators have said Crimo, of neighboring Highwood, legally purchased five weapons and planned the attack for weeks before he climbed onto the roof of a business along the parade route and opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle.

Investigators reported that Crimo fled the parade by blending in with the fleeing crowd, then drove to the Madison, Wisconsin, area, where he contemplated a second attack. He returned to the Highland Park area and his car was spotted by police.

Questions remain about whether Crimo should have been able to legally purchase firearms in Illinois. Illinois State Police officials have defended the approval of his gun license in December 2019, months after police received reports that he had made suicidal and violent threats.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Haitian migrant Gerson Solay, 28, carries his daughter, Bianca, as he and his family cross into Can...
Associated Press

US, Canada to end loophole that allows asylum-seekers to move between countries

President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced a plan to close a loophole to an immigration agreement.
2 days ago
Expert skateboarder Di'Orr Greenwood, an artist born and raised in the Navajo Nation in Arizona and...
Associated Press

Indigenous skateboard art featured on new stamps unveiled at Phoenix skate park

The Postal Service unveiled the “Art of the Skateboard" stamps at a Phoenix skate park, featuring designs from Indigenous artists.
2 days ago
(Facebook Photo/City of San Luis, Arizona)...
Associated Press

San Luis authorities receive complaints about 911 calls going across border

Authorities in San Luis say they are receiving more complaints about 911 calls mistakenly going across the border.
8 days ago
(Pexels Photo)...
Associated Press

Daylight saving time begins in most of US this weekend

No time change is observed in Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.
16 days ago
Mexican army soldiers prepare a search mission for four U.S. citizens kidnapped by gunmen in Matamo...
Associated Press

How the 4 abducted Americans in Mexico were located

The anonymous tip that led Mexican authorities to a remote shack where four abducted Americans were held described armed men and blindfolds.
16 days ago
Tom Brundy points to a newly built irrigation canal on one of the fields at his farm Tuesday, Feb. ...
Associated Press

Southwest farmers reluctant to idle farmland to save water

There is a growing sense that fallowing will have to be part of the solution to the increasingly desperate drought in the West.
23 days ago

Sponsored Articles

(Photo: OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center)...

Here’s what you need to know about OCD and where to find help

It's fair to say that most people know what obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders generally are, but there's a lot more information than meets the eye about a mental health diagnosis that affects about one in every 100 adults in the United States.
(Pexels Photo)...

Sports gambling can be fun for adults, but it’s a dangerous game for children

While adults may find that sports gambling is a way to enhance the experience with more than just fandom on the line, it can be a dangerous proposition if children get involved in the activity.
...
Quantum Fiber

How high-speed fiber internet edges out cable for everyday use

In a world where technology drives so much of our daily lives, a lack of high-speed internet can be a major issue.
July 4 parade attack victim remembered for love of family