19-year-old charged in slaying of 7-year-old boy struck by bullet
CHICAGO — A 19-year-old man has been arrested in the death of a 7-year-old boy who was struck by a stray bullet while washing his hands in the bathroom of his family’s westside Chicago home.
Joseph Serrano of Chicago was charged Thursday with first-degree murder, according to police.
Akeem Briscoe was apparently getting ready for bed on Oct. 26 when someone fired multiple shots in a nearby alley and a bullet struck the child in the abdomen, according to police.[1]
He later died at a hospital.
Shell casings were found in the alley and detectives examined private video footage from the area in the hopes of identifying who fired the shots.
Investigators later learned that shots were fired from one group of people at another group in a car in the alley, police said.
“They shoot at that group; obviously the bullet misses that group,” Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said. “There was nobody struck in that group, and the bullet goes through the window, striking the 7-year-old.”
A 16-year-old boy also was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s office said a third suspect was arrested, but not yet charged.
The Chicago Journal needs your support.
At just $20/year, your subscription not only helps us grow, it helps maintain our commitment to independent publishing.
If you're already a subscriber and you'd like to send a tip to continue to support the Chicago Journal, which we would greatly appreciate, you can do so at the following link:
Send a tip to the Chicago Journal
Notes & References
Chicago Journal. “Gunfire in Chicago Alley Kills 7-Year-Old Boy Who Was Washing His Hands.” Chicago Journal. Chicago Journal, October 28, 2022. https://www.chicagojournal.com/gunfire-in-chicago-alley-kills-7-year-old-boy-who-was-washing-his-hands/. ↩︎