Eight-year-old Dead, Five-year-old Wounded, After Finding Father’s Unsecured Gun

In Chicago, Illinois, eight-year-old Josiah Hooker was fatally shot in the head, and a five-year-old was injured, after the boys got a hold of their father’s loaded gun. Derrick Taylor, 32, had left his 9 mm handgun on a TV stand, and was sleeping when the shooting occurred. Both boys were taken to the hospital, where Josiah was pronounced dead. The five-year-old is in good condition with a graze wound to his head. Three of Taylor’s other children, a three-year-old, a nine-month old, and a one-month-old, were at home at the time of the shooting. Taylor has been charged with child endangerment and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. 

Source:

Todd Feurer, Jeramie Bizzle, “Chicago Man Charged With Leaving Gun Unattended Before Two Sons, Ages 8 and 5, Were Shot as He Slept in Grand Crossing,” cbsnews.com (March 24, 2025).