BROOKLYN — A Brooklyn man was charged and arraigned in the murder of 1-year-old Antiq Hennis on Saturday, the day after the revelation that the child's shooting may have been a gang-related retaliation hit, according to police.
Daquan Breland, 23, who was nabbed by police and federal agents early Friday in Pennsylvania after a five-day manhunt, was charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon in the Sept. 1 attack that killed Antiq Hennis while he was riding in a stroller pushed by his dad.
One .45 caliber bullet entered Antiq's skull, and two others passed through the stroller during the attack, which was an alleged gang retaliation at his father, Anthony Hennis.
Breland made no comments in court Saturday, and the judge gave the ex-con, who had violated parole, no option for bail.
Assistant District Attorney Howard Jackson said he thought the judge felt it "futile" to offer a bail.
Breland and another man were taken into custody Friday in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. during a 6 a.m. raid that involved U.S. Marshals and the NYPD. "Maybe he decided it would be a waste of his time to do so," said Jackson. "The evidence of flight risk is pretty high."
Daquan Wright, 19, who was also initially arrested as a suspect in the murder, was arraigned late Saturday but the murder charges against him were dropped, officials from the NYPD and DA's office said. He was instead charged with criminal possesion of a weapon.
The charges were filed a day after a funeral for Antiq, who was mourned by friends and family members Friday evening, including the boy's father who has come under neighbors' scrutiny for putting the boy at risk and has been uncooperative with police trying to find the suspects.
"It is tragic," said Jackson. "I attended the wake and the funeral arrangements yesterday and it was extremely emotional. Even if you didn't know this child, it was extremely emotional."
