Chicago parade shooter’s sentencing hearing marked by emotional testimony

Lake County Circuit Judge Victoria Rossetti convened the sentencing hearing for the man who fatally shot seven people and injured dozens more during a 2022 mass shooting outside Chicago. The shooter pleaded guilty to the murder and attempted murder charges just before opening arguments for his scheduled trial in March. He admitted to firing more than 70 shots with an AR-15-style rifle from a rooftop overlooking a Fourth of July parade route. About 30 people were injured in the attack, besides the seven who were killed. The shooter initially evaded police by dressing as a woman but was detained after an hour-long manhunt.

How did the hearing go? The hearing is expected to last several days due to the number of victims delivering impact statements ahead of the final sentencing announcement. Dozens of shooting victims and local residents are expected to speak. One parade attendee, Dana Ruder Ring, recalled first thinking the shots were firecrackers, according to reporting by the Associated Press. Ring said she hid in a parking garage before finding a two-year-old amid the chaos and taking him home with her until his parents could be found. She learned the next day that the child’s parents, Irina and Kevin McCarthy, were both killed by the shooter.

The defendant did not attend on Wednesday and it is unclear whether he will appear in court Thursday. He is expected to receive life in prison without the chance of parole. 

Dig deeper: Read my previous report about the shooter pleading guilty last month.