Highland Park parade shooting victim's daughters call for assault weapon ban
Eduardo Uvaldo's wife, 13-year-old grandson were also shot
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (WLS) -- Highland Park, and he was not the only member of the Uvaldo family shot that day.
The daughters of 69-year-old Uvaldo said seeing their father's picture on the memorial in downtown Highland Park is just unbearable.
For the past week, they've been trying to grapple with the loss of their beloved father, especially as this deeply personal and tragic loss has been thrust into the national spotlight.
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"Thinking about all the years we could've still had left with him you know," said his daughter, Tanya Castero. "Who's to say he couldn't have made it to 100, you know? And he was just taken."
Uvaldo was shot in the back of the head and spent 24 hours on life support before he passed.
"Him leaving us, we didn't get our chances," said Nubia Hogan, his daughter. "We did kind of get to say goodbye, but..."
"Not how we would have done it," Castero added. "If it would've been any other way."
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A family-oriented man, his daughters said he loved his four children, 13 grandchildren and six great grandchildren. Taking the kids to the parade was a yearly tradition.
"It's my dad's favorite holiday," Hogan said.
Hogan and Castero were both there that day. Their family dispersed when shots were fired in their direction.
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"I didn't know where anybody was," Castero said. "It was just me and my son. So that was kind of hard not knowing. I didn't know where her husband was, I didn't know where my husband was. I don't know where my dad was."
They later found out, Hogan's husband was with their father.
"He's like, your dad's been shot, your dad's been shot," Hogan said. "But I thought, he'll be OK. You know, you have that faith that he'll be OK."
Uvaldo's family said his memory and legacy will live on, but the community will forever be affected.
"These guns don't belong on the streets. They're for military, they're for police. They need to ban them, that's what I want."
Uvaldo's wife of 50 years and his 13-year-old grandson were also shot that day at the parade. They are both home now, doing well and recovering.
