(WBBM NEWSRAIDO) – Aspiring musician Rylan Wilder was 15 years old when a Des Plaines police officer accidentally shot him while pursuing a bank robber nearly four years ago in the Old Irving Park neighborhood.
Wilder reached a $1.9 million settlement with the city of Des Plaines, just as the lawsuit his family filed was about to enter the jury-selection phase of trial. News of the deal was announced Tuesday with the 19-year-old and his parents.
"Recklessness or willful and wonton conduct in this case is what we had to prove,” attorney Tim Cavanaugh said. “We brought a number of experts in this case. We were prepared to go to trial.”
Wilder, then a Lane Tech College Prep student, was interning at a music school on Irving Park Road in Nov. 19, 2019 when an armed suspect from a Des Plaines bank robbery was fleeing a police pursuit and ran into the business.
During a confrontation between a Des Plaines police officer and the suspect, the police officer accidentally shot Wilder and fatally shot suspect Christopher Willis. Before entering the music school, Willis had shot a Chicago police officer in the head, but that officer later recovered.
The teen was shot in the arm and abdomen, and the severity of his injuries potentially jeopardized his dreams of being a guitar player, his family said.
The city of Des Plaines on Thursday said Wilder ran in front of its officer as he was firing a rifle at the suspect because Willis pointed a gun at the officer. The city does not admit to wrongdoing or liability and said its police officer was trying to protect himself and other people at the scene.
The Des Plaines police officer is still employed by the city.
“Our officers are dedicated to upholding the principles of justice and community service. Our sincere sympathies go out to the Wilder family regarding the injuries Rylan sustained,” a city spokesperson said in a written statement.
Wilder said he's happy about the settlement, but he suggested better police training and other changes might make things safer for innocent bystanders in future.
He said he is still on track to being a professional guitarist.
"That's what I'm going for. I still plan on having a professional music career,” he said.
Wilder's attorney presented him with a new guitar signed by members of the Rolling Stones. He demonstrated his ability to work the instrument for reporters.
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