Midwest
Paroled convict fatally stabs 11-year-old boy, critically injures mother 1 day after being released
A convicted felon has been charged with fatally stabbing an 11-year-old boy and seriously injuring his pregnant mother in a home invasion attack in Chicago on Wednesday, one day after the suspect was paroled from prison, police say.
Crosetti Brand, 37, is charged with a slew of crimes including first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder for the vicious attack which took place in the 5900 block of North Ravenswood Avenue in Edgewater, about nine miles north of Downtown Chicago.
Brand fatally stabbed Jayden Perkins as he came to the aid of his mother, who was also stabbed, police say. The knife wound severed a major artery and the boy bled to death. Perkins’ 5-year-old brother witnessed the attack on his family but was unharmed.
Convicted felon Crosetti Brand has been charged with fatally stabbing an 11-year-old boy and seriously injuring his pregnant mother in a home invasion attack in Chicago on Wednesday. (Chicago Police Department)
UNION BOSS CALLS FOR NATIONAL GUARD ROLLOUT ON CHICAGO’S TRANSIT SYSTEM
Police say video shows Brand running away from the scene holding the knife that was used in the attack.
“An innocent child’s life was taken as he tried to protect his mother, far too soon,” Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said, according to Fox 32 Chicago. “A mother was attacked in what should have been the safest place for her, which was her home.”
Police say the mother, identified on a family support fund page as Laterria Smith, was getting her boys ready for school at around 8 a.m. when Brand burst into the house and carried out his attack. The woman was able to lock herself into a bedroom and Brand left after kicking at the door, prosecutors said.
He has a long criminal record for domestic violence and violating orders of protection.
Brand had a prior relationship with the mother more than 15 years ago and was serving a 16-year sentence for home invasion and aggravated assault when he was paroled and placed on electronic monitoring in October, police said.
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx speaking. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
VENEZUELAN ILLEGAL MIGRANT, AN ALLEGED CARTEL MEMBER, CHARGED IN CONNECTION TO CHICAGO DRIVE-BY SHOOTING
While Brand was on parole, he threatened the victim through text messages and also showed up at her home despite the victim having a lifetime order of protection against him.
He was sent back to prison in February for violating his parole and was released from the Stateville Correctional Center with electronic monitoring on Tuesday having served about seven years, police say. It is unclear why he was let out early again.
He was arrested hours after the stabbing.2
“Along with being brutally attacked, stabbed multiple times, dealing with that trauma, [the mother] has to face the fact that she will never see, touch, hug her 11-year-old son. She’s lost him forever,” Chicago Police Department Supt. Larry Snelling said.
In 2015, Brand attacked the same woman just four days after she broke off their dating relationship, Fox 32 reports, citing court records.
A vigil was held for Perkins on Thursday.
A Chicago police officer. A Chicago boy was fatally stabbed when he came to the rescue of his mother who was being attacked by a knife wielding convicted felon on Wednesday. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images))
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The family support fund noted that Perkins was a top student with a bright future.
“Jayden was an exceptional young man, respected by his peers and admired by his teachers,” the fundraiser states.
“He excelled academically, earning straight A’s and consistently making the honor roll. He was also deeply involved in extracurricular activities, participating in cross country, football, and the arts. Jayden had a passion for performing and theater, and he had the lead role in several school plays, including ‘Finding Nemo’ at Peirce Elementary.”
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Detroit, MI
Part of Detroit Riverwalk reopens after infrastructure work
Detroit — A three-block portion of the Detroit Riverwalk just north of the Renaissance Center reopened this week after being closed for five months for the installation of an underground drainage system, state officials announced.
The stretch of the pedestrian and bicycle path that had been closed since Nov. 20 is between Beaubien and Rivard streets in downtown Detroit. Crews for the Michigan Department of Transportation installed a new storm sewer outfall intended to reduce the risk of flooding on nearby streets, officials said.
The sewer outfall is part of the larger I-375 project, a major infrastructure initiative around the I-375 corridor.
Sewer outfalls are key components of wastewater management systems, designed to safely discharge water and waste while protecting public health and the environment.
“The new storm sewer outfall will provide lasting environmental benefits for residents and businesses along the I-375 corridor and the riverfront by supporting cleaner water being discharged into the Detroit River and relieving pressure on the existing city combined sewer system after heavy rain events,” according to an MDOT press statement Thursday. “The installation of the new storm sewer will reduce the risk of flooding on streets and in neighborhoods.”
This week’s opening of the Riverwalk is ahead of the May 1 target date that had been set.
“Crews worked diligently through harsh winter and wet spring conditions to achieve our goal of reopening prior to seasonal festivities starting up,” said Jason Garza, MDOT’s Metro Region Deputy Engineer.
In addition to reopening the Riverwalk, crews also opened Atwater and Franklin streets to through-traffic between St. Antoine and Rivard streets.
The opening comes as the popular Riverwalk area is set to kick into high gear with a variety of events. The Riverwalk path runs continuously from Gabriel Richard Park, just east of the bridge leading to Belle Isle, to the Ralph Wilson park to the west. It attracts about 3 million people annually, according to the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, the nonprofit that manages the Riverwalk and many of the adjoining parks and connected pedestrian/bike paths.
On Thursday afternoon, the Riverwalk was busy with walkers, bicyclists and people fishing such as Terraile Jefferson, 56, from Detroit.
“It’s always a good experience out here,” Jefferson said. “Especially when I catch something good.”
laguilar@detroitnews.com
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Bucks to hire Taylor Jenkins in bid to keep Antetokounmpo this summer
The Milwaukee Bucks became the first NBA team to hire a new coach this offseason, targeting and landing former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins to succeed Doc Rivers.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Jenkins and the Bucks’ front office were finalizing a deal on Thursday afternoon to bring the 41-year-old former Milwaukee assistant back to serve as the franchise’s fourth coach since parting ways with Mike Budenholzer in 2023.
BREAKING: The Milwaukee Bucks and Taylor Jenkins are finalizing a deal to make Jenkins the franchise’s new head coach, sources tell me and @ramonashelburne. Jenkins, a Bucks assistant in 2018-19, went 250-214 and made three postseasons across six seasons in Memphis. pic.twitter.com/LOHoCZO7NA
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 23, 2026
Jenkins served as an assistant under Budenholzer in 2018-19 after serving under him for five seasons in Atlanta.
Rumors of Jenkins being spotted with Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who faces a decision regarding his own future this summer, made the rounds on social media this week as unconfirmed sightings suggested the Bucks’ franchise star was helping the coach tour schools.
I don’t have sources or anything, take with a grain of salt… but I have heard some rumors/stories that Giannis was with Taylor Jenkins around Milwaukee yesterday, including looking at schools for Jenkins’ kids.
— Nathan Marzion (@nathanmarzion) April 22, 2026
Bobby Portis, under contract for next season and holding a player option for ‘28-’29, was on popular NBA show “Run it Back and believed landing him to lead the team going forward would be a positive in convincing Antetokounmpo to stay put.
Bobby Portis says Giannis wants a head coach who establishes culture 👀
“A Mike Budenholzer type of vibe. …
When you play the Heat, Celtics, OKC, and Toronto you know exactly how they’re about to play.”@BPortistime | @MichelleDBeadle | @ChandlerParsons | @TeamLou23 pic.twitter.com/87liFcparh
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) April 14, 2026
“What helps is that (Jenkins) was in Milwaukee during Coach Bud’s stint in Milwaukee. He was one of the assistant coaches on the roster,” Portis said. “I think that kind of relationship with Giannis and that kind of relationship with (GM) Jon Horst sits well with the franchise, and I think that kind of helps”
Horst and Bucks ownership courted Jenkins in Memphis and clearly zeroed in on him as the top target in the coaching search. Although what Antetokounmpo is going to do is anyone’s guess, keeping the “Greek Freak” in Milwaukee has been the franchise’s primary objective over the last few years as rumors he was growing dissatisfied with the direction of the team intensified, so it’s clear that the team’s leadership views Jenkins as an asset in retaining Antetokounmpo’s services.
ESPN’s Charania reported that Antetokounmpo wasn’t involved in Jenkins’ hiring and has had no communication with the Bucks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was NOT involved in the Bucks hiring process of Taylor Jenkins, per @ShamsCharania
Giannis and the Bucks top brass have NOT had ANY communication since the trade deadline pic.twitter.com/IrlHDkaPzj — Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) April 23, 2026
Jenkins went 250-214 in six seasons with the Grizzlies, but was fired late in the 2024-25 season with a postseason berth lined up. He was linked to the New York Knicks opening last summer that Mike Brown ultimately filled and was going to be a candidate for the vacancies in Chicago and potentially Orlando if the Magic move on from Jamahl Mosley after their postseason run ends.
Jenkins was already in Memphis when the Bucks broke through to win the NBA Finals in 2021, but he reportedly had a great relationship with Antetokounmpo and helped set the foundation for the last big winner in Milwaukee. The Bucks lost 50 games this past season, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16 under then-head coach Jason Kidd.
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Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis Man Gets 8.5 Years For Trying To Join ISIS In Somalia
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — A 23-year-old Minneapolis man was sentenced Wednesday to 102 months in prison and 15 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota.
Prosecutors said Abdisatar Ahmed Hassan tried to travel from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to Somalia in December 2024 to join and fight for the foreign terrorist organization.
ISIS has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. secretary of state since 2014.
According to court documents cited by federal prosecutors, Hassan consumed and reposted ISIS propaganda, obtained bombmaking and weapons-related manuals, and communicated on social media with ISIS media wings and recruiters operating in Somalia.
The U.S. attorney’s office said Hassan bought a one-way ticket, left Minneapolis for Chicago on Dec. 29, 2024, and was prevented from continuing to Somalia after an interview by Customs and Border Protection’s Tactical Terrorism Response Team.
Prosecutors said he later continued researching ISIS attacks and posting pro-ISIS content online before the FBI arrested him on Feb. 27, 2025.
Hassan pleaded guilty Sept. 29, 2025, before Judge Donovan W. Frank, who imposed the sentence on April 22.
In the announcement, FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson said, “Abdisatar Hassan took active steps in an attempt to join and support ISIS—a brutal foreign terrorist organization responsible for the violent deaths of thousands of innocent people.”
He added that the sentence “takes a would-be terrorist off the streets and sends a clear message that the FBI and our partners will unremittingly pursue anyone seeking to join or support a foreign terrorist organization.”
This case was investigated by the FBI, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, Customs and Border Protection and the New York Police Department.
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