Parents Of Couple Slain In Highland Park Shooting Fight Over Custody

WAUKEGAN, IL — The grandparents of the 3-year-old boy whose parents were killed in last year's Highland Park parade shooting are facing off in court over custody of the boy.

Aiden McCarthy was 2 years old when his parents Kevin and Irina McCarthy were shot to death while attending the Highland Park 4th of July parade.

Kevin's mother, who was holding Aiden when a rooftop shooter opened fire at paradegoers, was also hit in the ear and neck, narrowly avoiding a fatal wound.

Aiden was found by a Deerfield woman underneath his fatally wounded father, who appeared to have sheltered him from gunfire.

An image of the toddler was shared on social media in an attempt to identify him, as he was too young to know the names of his parents, before he was eventually reunited with his grandparents.

The alleged gunman, a 22-year-old Highland Park High School dropout, is awaiting trial on 117 felony counts in connection with the shooting. He is accused of murdering seven people and wounding 47 others, while his father faces seven counts of felony reckless conduct for signing off on his son's gun license application despite prior reported threats.

Related: Boy Orphaned After Parents Killed In Highland Park Shooting

In the months since the shooting, a GoFundMe online fundraiser started on Aiden's behalf raised about $3.3 million.

The creators of the fund, relatives of Irina's, were first made its trustees before a judge ordered a professional manager appointed to administer it, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Kevin's father's family challenged the trust, and both sets of grandparents later agreed to put the money into an escrow account administered by Chicago Trust Co., with attorneys already collecting more than $75,000 in fees from the court-ordered trust, according to the Tribune.

Meanwhile, Irina's parents have made claims on Kevin's estate in a separate action in probate court.

As for Aiden, both his grandmothers have been named temporary guardians and both are asking a judge to make them his permanent guardian, according to the Tribune. At the same time, his aunt and uncle, both previous guardians, would like to be named permanent guardians, as would his paternal grandfather.

The guardian ad litem in the case — Aiden McCarthy's court-appointed legal representative — was ordered to submit a written opinion in the case in October 2022, but court records indicate it has not been finalized, the Tribune reported.

Attorneys for the two sets of grandparents have also reportedly disagreed over what law should govern Aiden's guardianship — the Illinois Probate Act or the Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act.

A status hearing on the guardian ad litem's report is scheduled for Sept. 20, according to court records. A pretrial settlement conference — and a potential trial date — are set for November.