Highland Park shooting left an 8-year-old paralyzed from the waist down after he was shot in the chest

• A mass shooting in Highland Park left seven people dead and dozens more injured.
• An 8-year-old boy was among those injured and is now paralyzed from the waist down.

The Highland Park Fourth of July parade shooting has left an 8-year-old boy paralyzed from the waist down, his family spokesperson told reporters at a Thursday news conference.

Dozens were injured in the Illinois shooting, including the boy, Cooper Roberts. His mother, Keely, and his twin brother, Luke, were also wounded in the attack, which left seven people dead.

"It's going to be a new normal for him going forward," family spokesperson Anthony Loizzi said of Cooper. "They're not sure, due to the severed spinal cord, whether or not he'll be able to walk again in the future."

Loizzi said that Cooper is currently sedated and has undergone "several" surgeries. He added that his mother was struck by a bullet in her "leg and foot area," while Luke had shrapnel injuries.

"Cooper is the funniest little boy you'll ever meet. He is silly and creative, and above all else, he loves everyone unconditionally and genuinely," his sister, Payton, said in a statement provided to Insider.

"Cooper has never met a stranger a day in his life – everyone he meets is his instant best friend (second only to Luke)," she added. "There's nothing this kid can't do and no words for the amount of goodness within him."

Loizzi also gave an update on Keely, who was discharged from the hospital so she could be by Cooper's side.

"She's been a school administrator for many, many years serving many districts," he said during the press conference, adding that the mother "works hard day and night to serve students and families in public schools. And now she, and her family, need our support."

A verified GoFundMe for Cooper and his family is raising money for medical and therapy bills.

"If you know Keely, she's just a fighter and it sounds like Cooper got that part of her in him because he's fighting as hard as he can," Loizzi said.

The 21-year-old shooting suspect is in custody following a manhunt when the event dispersed. Authorities say he confessed to the massacre — of which survivors have given harrowing accounts — and had even contemplated implementing another.