A Chicago father has pleaded guilty to charges in connection with his 8-year-old son’s deadly gunshot, admitting that he left a loaded handgun within reach of his children before the child was accidentally killed last spring.
Derrick Taylor, 32, was sentenced to five years in jail by Judge Alfredo Maldonado. According to state records, he is anticipated to be freed on September 17, 2027, after receiving credit for time served and Illinois’ usual 50% sentence reduction.
Taylor pleaded guilty to being a criminal in possession of a handgun and child endangerment resulting in death for the March 20, 2025, killing of 8-year-old Josiah Hooker inside the family’s Greater Grand Crossing home. Prosecutors claim Taylor hid a loaded 9mm pistol beneath a television on a low dresser in his bedroom after providing snacks for his children, then lay down to nap while caring for them alone.
According to officials, Taylor awoke around 5:20 p.m. after hearing a loud boom and discovering that his 5-year-old son had shot Josiah in the back of the head. Taylor hurried outside with the critically injured youngster while a neighbor dialed 911 and a mail carrier stopped to assist until first responders arrived.
Josiah was pronounced deceased at Comer Children’s Hospital. According to a Chicago police report, the 5-year-old suffered a face laceration that appeared to be a grazing cut.
Taylor will spend only half of his five-year sentence after getting the state’s usual 50% sentence reduction and credit for time served in jail.
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