7-year-old Chicago boy fatally struck by stray bullet was 'washing his hands' for dinner

CHICAGO - There's a grave concern about additional gun violence on the Northwest Side after a 7-year-old boy was shot and killed Wednesday night by a stray bullet.

Akeem Briscoe was washing his hands for dinner Wednesday night when a bullet fired from the alley behind his home came through the window and killed the 7-year-old.

Akeem was in the bathroom when he was shot in the abdomen around 8:20 p.m. in the 2600 block of West Potomac Avenue in Humboldt Park, Chicago police said. He was transported to Stroger Hospital where he later died.

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Police found multiple bullet casings in the alley near Rockwell and Potomac, Deputy Police Chief Ron Pontecore told reporters Wednesday night. Police don't believe anyone inside the home was an intended target, but it was not known what sparked the gunfire.

Pontecore said investigators have been looking at security video, but no one is in custody.

"It's tragic any time a person is shot. When a young child is in the safety of their home, it is entirely tragic. We take this seriously and are deeply deploying our resources to the area to find out who is responsible for this," Pontecore said.

The little boy’s uncle, Terribia Misters said his nephew was a good boy. 

"He just loved going and playing with the kids, doing different things," the boy’s uncle Terribia Misters said. "He had a dog he called Angel, now he’s an angel himself."

Misters said the family is reeling from the loss, which occurred just days after the boy’s father died from health issues. "My sister is super grieving," he said. "Her husband died, now her son. It’s not fair to her," he said.

Akeem’s mother and older brother and sister were in the home at the time, Misters said.  "They had to see their little brother get shot. On his way to the hospital, he said, ‘I’m OK.’

Misters says the boy loved school and was looking forward to a field trip with classmates Thursday. "He asked me, ‘Uncle Tibbs, you should come with me.’

"Life is not fair," he said. "Innocent kids shouldn’t be getting killed."

Police are still working to get the shooter off the streets, but the boy's family is afraid to return home. His older siblings do not want to return to the neighborhood.

Jessie Fuentes, Violence Prevention Coordinator for the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, says her group has had communications with gangs in the neighborhood.

"We have to ensure that whatever happened last night doesn’t perpetuate a cycle of shootings throughout the weekend. We have an obligation to keep our young people safe. He was 7-years-old," Fuentes said.

Crisis responder Andrew Holmes says he has spoken with the victim's family, and they are afraid to return to their home. He is offering a $2,000 reward to anyone with information that will lead to the shooter.

Area Five Detectives are investigating.

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.