Highland Park parade shooting survivors react to suspect's rejection of plea deal – NBC Chicago

Raw emotions spilled over among survivors of the Highland Park parade shooting just moments after leaving court early Wednesday afternoon, after the shooting suspect abruptly refused to plead guilty after previously reporting that he would.

“All I wanted was to be able to completely mourn my mother without the trial looming, knowing he was going to spend the rest of his life in prison, but instead we were once again showed his complete and blatant disregard for humans, for anyone, for all of us in the courtroom,” said Leah Sundheim.

Sundheim's mother, Jacki, was killed along with 6 others in the shooting, including Eduardo Uvaldo. She and other families are disgusted by the actions of the alleged shooter, Robert Crimo III.

“He's mean, manipulative and he brought us here today probably knowing what he was going to do,” Sundheim said.

Karina Mendez said she knew there was a chance Crimo could change his plea.

“I was hoping it wouldn’t happen, but I knew he played a lot of games,” Mendez said.

Ashbey Beasley confronted the shooter in court when he rejected the plea deal. She survived the shooting with her then 6-year-old son.

“Enough harm has been done, it’s extremely disturbing that someone could be so cruel,” Beasley said.

Another survivor, Charlie Kleiman, shares his story with NBC Chicago nearly two years after the shooting.

“It’s been a struggle. There are times when I have flashbacks and I shut down, it’s always difficult,” Kleiman said.

The Highland Park native was diagnosed with PTSD and said he's doing his best to move forward.

“Last year I was out of town for the Fourth of July and I had a really bad panic attack,” he said. “I worked on it. I've been working with a therapist and stuff like that and I'm hoping this time it will be a lot smoother.

He is now a professional wrestler in the National Wrestling Alliance and credits the sport, his family and friends for supporting him throughout his journey.

“I'm very fortunate to have a lot of people, not only in the Highland Park community, but also at school, in my fraternity, who are aware of this and are willing to help me,” said he declared.

He knows his community is resilient as it prepares for the weight of next year's trial and next week's Fourth of July.

“All we can hope is that the people who have been truly hurt and affected get the justice they need to bring closure to their situation,” Kleiman said.