Highland Park survivor recalls being shot in front of children at parade last year

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (WLS) -- A Highland Park mother is reflecting on what she endured after being shot twice in front of her young boys at the Fourth of July parade shooting last year.

Lauren Bennett was one of the first victims of the Highland Park shooting. Her mother was also wounded.

Nearly a year later, Bennett said she still can't believe that she and her family had to run from bullets during a parade they attend every year. She explained how she's turning her pain into purpose.

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"It was a very scary moment and I can feel that fear, if I'm outside, in a restaurant, movie theater," Bennett said. "You feel that type of fear. Something that you've never felt before until you've run from bullets while being shot."

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What was supposed to be an annual family tradition for the Highland Park family turned into terror in a matter of moments.

Lauren Bennett lined the parade route with her husband and their young sons--bracing for a fun-filled holiday.

"We get to the parade early to get good seats up front," she said. "My parents always come, my in-laws. And then to realize that I am shot in the hip and bleeding profusely...That's when I knew we were under attack."

Bennett said she ran for her life and was shot again in the back.

"And then running to take cover, I jumped in the bushes. I looked around and took in the scene for a second, saw people who had been shot lying on the ground, and I knew we were in a warzone," she said.

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Her mom, Debbie who was grazed by a bullet, using her body as a shield to protect her grandsons.

"I just threw my body over him, but not even knowing why," Debbie said. "My daughter comes out of the bushes and she said I've been shot. I take a look at her and she's been covered with blood ...She's covered with blood from the waist down. Michael grabs her and the kids and we start running."

"We found towels and blankets in the car," Bennett said. "We were holding the wounds. My mother-in-law was there too. She'd been shot in the arm. My husband was driving as fast as he could."

When she arrived at the hospital, Bennett said she saw "the look of fear in everyone's eyes, even the nurses and the doctors. Everyone had the look in their face of just terror."

Bennett, her mom and mother-in-law all survived. Nearly one year later, Bennett says the part that hurts the most is "To see my babies have to witness that," Bennett said. "No parent wants that for their children and that just sits heavy on my heart. They were in the line of fire-sitting right in front of me. The fact that they survived...but they still have to live with the images and the fear. I can't make the world perfect for them, but I can try."

"I should not be sitting here as a survivor from a mass shooting with wounds all over my body, from an assault rifle. But it happened, so I'm going to pull up my boot straps and I'm going to speak to the world and let them know that there's a threat out there. We could do something. We could make the world better."

Bennett credits her husband for helping to keep her boys alive and unharmed. She also wants to thank the medical team for saving her life.

Bennett hopes her story serves as a reminder of what needs to be done to keep families in our country safe.

Since the tragedy, Bennett has been lifting her voice, advocating for a ban on assault rifles nationwide. She says she wants to prevent this from happening to other families.