A Chicago father has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the fatal shooting of his 8-year-old son, admitting that he left a loaded handgun within reach of his children before the boy was accidentally killed last spring.
Judge Alfredo Maldonado sentenced 32-year-old Derrick Taylor to five years in prison, and state records show he is expected to be released on September 17, 2027, after credit for time served and Illinois’ standard 50% sentence reduction.
Taylor pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and to child endangerment causing death in the March 20, 2025, killing of 8-year-old Josiah Hooker inside the family’s Greater Grand Crossing home. Prosecutors said Taylor placed a loaded 9mm pistol behind a television on a low dresser in his bedroom after making snacks for his children, then lay down to nap while caring for the kids alone.
Officials said Taylor woke around 5:20 p.m. when he heard a loud noise and discovered that his 5-year-old son had shot Josiah in the back of the head. Taylor ran outside with the gravely injured child as a neighbor called 911 and a mail carrier stopped to help until first responders arrived…