Man faces child endangerment charges after 8yearold fatally shot on the South Side
Mar 22, 2025
A man is facing child endangerment charges after an 8-year-old boy was fatally shot and a 5-year-old boy injured Thursday on the South Side, according to Chicago police.Derrick Taylor, 32, faces felony charges of child endangerment and possession of a weapon as a felon, police said. His detainment h
earing was postponed until Monday as he was hospitalized for a psychological evaluation; he was ordered held until then.Taylor told police he had been sleeping while watching his seven children at his home in the 1400 block of East 71st Place about 5:20 p.m. Thursday and was woken up by a gunshot, when he found his son Josiah Hooker, 8, had been shot in the back of his head, according to a police report obtained by the Sun-Times.He then picked Josiah up and ran outside, and a nearby mail carrier started CPR before switching off with Taylor, according to the report.The boy was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital where he died 20 minutes later; his 5-year-old brother was also taken to the same hospital in good condition with a graze wound on his head.An autopsy Friday that would determine the cause and manner of the boy’s death was still inconclusive Saturday, pending a police investigation, according to the medical examiner’s office.Taylor is expected in court Monday. ...read more read less