CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: An emotional service was held at Immaculate Conception Church on Saturday, July 1, 2023, to honor the victims who were killed in the Highland Park parade shooting. Seven people were killed and at least 31 others were severely injured when gunman Robert Eugene Crimo III opened fire just minutes after the parade started on July 4, 2022.

The victims killed in the shooting are identified as Eduardo Uvaldo, 69, Steve Straus, 88; Katherine Goldstein, 64; Jacki Sondheim, 63; Nicholas Toledo Zaragoza, 78; and husband and wife Irina and Kevin McCarthy, 35 and 37. On Saturday, many Highland Park residents expressed their disbelief at the fact that it was already one year to the Fourth of July disaster. They also emphasized the significance of faith in their recovery. "Prayer creates a huge impact in our lives and our faith," said Father Hernan Cuevas with Immaculate Conception Church, according to ABC 7.

‘We can't just bury things’

"Remembering what happened, you look at how valuable life is, and you just try to do the best you can to live it,” expressed Aleena Piagentini, a Highland Park resident. Following the prayer service, attendees helped plant an oak tree outside the church with Mayor Nancy Rotering and Congressman Brad Schneider of the 10th District as a symbol of the community's resilience. "This was an opportunity again for our community to show its resilience and its love, and to show that these seven lives will be remembered forever," Rotering said. Many of them emphasized that they're still struggling to cope with the tragedy and special occasions like this so they never forget the souls lost. "We can't just bury things. We need to confront, and we come to terms, and you don't heal if you don't examine and forgive," said another resident.

Where is Robert Eugene Crimo III now?

The Crimo III, 22, is currently being held at the Lake County Jail pending his continuing homicide charge. The suspect has pleaded not guilty to 117 felony counts for allegedly climbing onto the rooftop of a nearby business and firing an assault rifle at paradegoers from a rooftop at Central Avenue and Second Street in the north suburb. Crimo faces a sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted, Assistant State’s Attorney Ben Dillon said in his first hearing, according to CNN. Crimo’s next court date has been scheduled for September 11, 2023.

While Crimo III has been charged with seven charges of first-degree murder, his father Robert E Crimo Jr is facing seven counts of reckless conduct for signing his son’s firearm owner’s identification card application when he was underage. A dozen legal lawsuits were also brought against Crimo III and his father by shooting victims. In those lawsuits, Smith & Wesson, a gun manufacturer, has been accused of selling Crimo III an assault weapon while purportedly knowing that he lived in Highland Park, where such weapons are prohibited.