CHICAGO — The Chicago Police Department announced a 16-year-old boy has been charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of 7-year-old Akeem Briscoe Tuesday evening.
As you may recall, Akeem was washing his hands in the bathroom of his parents’ West Town home around 8:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 27, when a bullet came crashing through a window, hitting Akeem in the stomach and later killing him.
“It was group on group violence,” said CPD Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan at the press conference. “There was a group that was in the alley behind the residence where the 7-year-old was just washing his hands, and a separate group approached from the alley.”
“They were targeting this group that was in a car in the alley,” Deenihan said. “They shoot at that group. The bullet misses that group … and the bullet goes through the window striking the 7-year-old.”
Deenihan followed up with saying there was more work needed to be done in the case. CPD said they also have two other adult offenders in custody related to this incident.
“We do not believe the juvenile fired the handgun, but the juvenile was in possession of the handgun and passed it to one of these other adult offenders who fired it,” Deenihan said.
No additional information was made available as the investigation remains ongoing.
It is unclear at this time when the 16-year-old’s next day in court may be.