Cooper Roberts, boy shot at Highland Park parade, is expected to leave rehab hospital in 6 to 12 weeks

CHICAGO (CBS) — Cooper Roberts, the 8-year-old boy who was shot and severely wounded at the Highland Park July 4th parade massacre – is now undergoing physical and occupational therapy at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.

Cooper was released last week from the University of Chicago’s Comer Children’s Hospital to the AbilityLab, where his medical team is performing tests to determine the appropriate physical and occupational therapy.

Due to continued swelling, the AbilityLab team was not able to complete a foundational spinal injury assessment scale to determine the extent of his injuries. But he is participating in daily physical and occupational activity at the AbilityLab to regain strength and mobility.

Cooper is expected to remain at the AbilityLab for inpatient rehabilitation services for six to 12 weeks. After that, he will rejoin his twin brother, Luke, in the third grade at Braeside Elementary School in Highland Park.

“This is a huge motivation for Cooper as he is excited to return to the classroom and see his friends,” his family wrote. “He will likely return to classes for half-days and continue to participate in long-term outpatient physical and occupational therapy at AbiiltyLab for the part of the day.”

Cooper is also still under the care of doctors at Comer, where he will return via ambulance this week so surgeons can check on surgeries already performed – including a heart graft and esophageal tear repairs.

In the parade massacre, Cooper was shot in the back and the bullet exited through his chest. The bullet “did significant damage throughout his body, including to his aorta, liver, esophagus, and spinal cord,” his mother, Keely Roberts, wrote in late July.

Ms. Roberts was also shot. She said she suffered bullet wounds to two parts of her leg, and has already had multiple surgical procedures on her foot. The injuries require ongoing orthopedic treatment, she said.

Cooper’s brother, Luke, suffered only minor physical injuries – but the emotional trauma has been devastating on its own, Roberts wrote.

Both Cooper and Luke are in private counseling and mental health services. Cooper is suffering from flashbacks that disrupt his sleep and other post-traumatic stress symptoms.

The Roberts family is also seeking short-term rental housing that is ADA accessible for when Cooper returns home. The family’s 100-year-old Highland Park home does not meet Cooper’s needs for home-based rehab therapies.

The family also needs a wheelchair-accessible vehicle for Cooper for after he goes home.