Mail carrier Sharralle Williams tried to save 8-year-old Josiah Hooker killed in Grand Crossing, Chicago shooting: 'Traumatizing'
Share this @internewscast.com

CHICAGO (WLS) — Chicago mail carriers navigate not only the elements, but sometimes elements of danger.

Last week, a mail carrier was called on to help an injured child, and she did not hesitate.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

Tuesday marked five days since 8-year-old Josiah Hooker was killed inside a Grand Crossing home.

Memories of that day keep replaying for a Chicago mail carrier Sharralle Williams.

She was delivering mail across the street on Thursday when she saw a woman screaming for help.

“I dropped my stuff, and I ran to go help. When I got over there, I realized it was a baby,” Williams said.

Before the paramedics arrived, Williams helped a distraught father doing CPR on his son. Williams told ABC7 she had been trained to do CPR as a childcare provider.

“I said, ‘You breathe for me. I’ll do the chest compressions. Let’s try to take care of this young man.’ And I thought, ‘Oh God, this is a child,'” Williams said.

Despite their efforts, the boy died at Comer Children’s Hospital.

“I just broke down crying some more, because I was hoping against – hope that he was going to make it,” Williams said.

Williams, who is a mother of two young children herself, says this has shaken her. She has not been back to work.

“This has been traumatizing,” Williams said. “I’m extremely sad. I have cried so much since this has happened.”

ABC7 has learned that Derrick Taylor is charged with endangering a child and illegal possession of a weapon.

In court, prosecutors claimed that Taylor was the sole adult home with his five sons and stepsons, and he left the gun on the dresser behind a TV while he and the boys took a nap. But one of boys handled the gun, according to prosecutors.

Taylor claims he told authorities he woke up to the sound of gunfire and seeing his 8-year-old with what would be a deadly wound.

Williams has a son one year older than Hooker, and another son one year younger. And she now tells her boys, if they ever see a gun, do not touch it.

“I just grabbed my kids so fast and just held them and cried, and saying, ‘Mommy, what’s wrong?'” Williams said. “We should not be burying our children… Keep that family in your prayers. I’m going to keep that family in my prayers as well.”

Williams says she wants to go back to work eventually. But for now, she says she is getting support, as she cannot sleep without seeing that scene. She told ABC7 that she misses her customers.

Williams also shared that she was inspired to be a mail carrier when she was a child by her neighborhood mail carrier, and she hopes to inspire others to be of service in their communities whenever possible.

Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

“Doctor Odyssey’ Cougar Week Episode Reunites Fans with Shania Twain, ‘Charlie’s Angels’ Jaclyn Smith, and ‘Knots Landing’ Star Donna Mills”

Every time I think Doctor Odyssey cannot get any crazier, a geriatric…

SAPD Shares Body Camera Video of Officer Shooting Incident Where Suspect Allegedly Pointed Gun at Police

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police released footage on Friday of an…

Trump’s Focus Turns to Denmark as Vance Sets Sights on Greenland

Denmark found itself in President Donald Trump’s spotlight on Friday. Trump seems…

Careless Vandals Slip Up While Defacing Tesla Cybertruck with Offensive Symbol

Vandals in New York City made a fatal mistake when they were…

Trump Discloses Why He’s Determined to Acquire Greenland and Issues New Warning

President Donald Trump summed up in two words why the U.S. needs to…

South Carolina Wildfire Expands as Firefighters Work to Safeguard Homes

A large wildfire in the South Carolina mountains has doubled in size…

DOGE Team Clarifies Federal Job Cuts: ‘Hardly Anyone Has Been Dismissed’

(The Hill) – President Trump’s senior adviser and tech billionaire Elon Musk,…

Should You Watch or Pass? ‘The Rule of Jenny Pen’ on Shudder, a Satirical Horror-Comedy Featuring John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush

“The Rule of Jenny Pen” (now streaming on Shudder) delivers an unexpected…

King Charles III Makes Public Appearance a Day After Hospitalization Due to Cancer Treatment Side Effects

LONDON — King Charles III smiled and waved to members of the…

Watch or Pass: ‘The Line’ on Hulu – A Raw Look into Fraternity Life and Its Toxic Culture

The Line (currently streaming on Hulu) illustrates a critical reality: college fraternities…

Inside Story: Why Trump Abruptly Pulled Elise Stefanik’s Nomination – Direct from the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter…

Karen Read Trial: Juror from First Mistrial Joins Defense Team as Alleged Police Officer’s Killer Faces Court Again

A Massachusetts attorney who served as an alternate juror in the mistrial…