An eight-year-old boy who was shot during the Highland Park attack has been “paralysed from the waist down” and is unlikely to ever walk again.
Cooper Roberts attended the 4th of July celebration near Chicago with his twin brother Luke and their mum Keely.
All three were shot during the attack which left seven people dead and over 40 injured, with Cooper suffering a severed spinal cord.
"It's going to be a new normal for him moving forward,” family spokesman Anthony Loizzi said in a statement to CBS News.
"It sounds (like) he'll have significant issues moving forward, especially with walking.”
Cooper regained consciousness on Friday for the first time since the shooting.
He has been sedated but is in a lot of pain after being removed from a ventilator.
Doctors have confirmed that Cooper's chances of walking again are slim given the serious nature of his spinal cord injury.
"At this time, the doctors do not believe that he suffered any brain damage or cognitive impact from the shooting,” Loizzi told CBS in quotes reported by the Daily Mail.
Cooper has been asking to see his twin Luke, who was also hospitalised with shrapnel wounds, and his dog George.
Luke was discharged after doctors removed some of the debris, although they were unable to get all of it.
The boys' mother, Keely Roberts, suffered gunshot wounds to her legs and feet but father Jason, who was also present at the parade, escaped unhurt.
Keely underwent two surgeries for her injuries but discharged herself sooner than doctors advised because she was distraught about Cooper's condition and wanted to be with him at the children's hospital, Loizzi told CBS.
Speaking of Cooper's recovery, Loizzi added: “He's fighting as hard as he can.”
"The family, which also includes four adult sisters, were “devastated but focusing their energy on Cooper,” he said.
Friends of the family have created a GoFundMe page seeking to help address their medical bills and have so far managed to raise $1.1 million.
Robert Crimo III has been arrested over the shootings, in which a gunman shot at parade attendees from a roof, and charged with seven counts of first-degree murder.
