Family mourns loss of 7-year-old boy to stray bullet

CHICAGO — Family and friends gathered to support the family of 7-year-old Akeem Briscoe, who was laid to rest at his funeral service Saturday afternoon.

Akeem was washing his hands in the bathroom of his family’s Humboldt Park home when someone started shooting in a nearby alleyway when a stray bullet crashed through the home and into Akeem’s stomach. He died after going into surgery later that night.

Just four days before Akeem was fatally shot, his family also held a funeral service for his dad, who died after heart surgery.

In an effort to support Akeem’s mother after facing two tragedies back-to-back, a GoFundMe page has been set up to help raise money to cover medical and funeral expenses.