Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that two Brooklyn men were convicted in connection with the 2013 murder of a 16-month-old boy who was shot while being pushed in a stroller by his father – the apparent target of the fatal gunfire.
District Attorney Thompson said, “The tragic death of this innocent baby is an example of the devastation gun violence can wreck on our communities. These defendants showed utter disregard for human life and we will be asking that each of them receives the maximum sentence.”
The District Attorney identified the defendants as Daquan Breland, 25, of 187 Riverdale Avenue in Brownsville, Brooklyn and Daquan Wright, 21, of 24 Chester Street in East New York, Brooklyn. Following a jury trial, Breland was convicted today of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon; and Wright was convicted of the top count he was charged with, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
District Attorney Thompson said that, according to trial testimony, on September 1, 2013, at about 7:20 p.m., Wright handed a firearm to Breland, who fired several shots in the direction of Anthony Hennis who was pushing a stroller at the intersection of Bristol Street and Livonia Avenue in Brownsville, Brooklyn. The bullets struck 16-month-old Antiq Hennis in the head, killing him. Both defendants fled the state and were apprehended in Pennsylvania five days after the homicide.
The District Attorney said that an eyewitness testified at trial about seeing Wright handing the gun to Breland, who fired in the direction of Anthony Hennis, who was pushing his son Antiq in a stroller. A man who lived with Breland at the time testified that the defendant admitted to him shortly after the incident that he shot a rival, referring to the victim’s father by his nickname.
A jury convicted both defendants today following a trial in front of Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Neil Firetog, who set sentencing for August 18, 2015.
Breland faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison and Wright faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Howard Jackson of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, under the supervision of Kenneth Taub, Chief.
