The family members of a 15-year-old Chicago boy wounded last week during a police shootout with a bank robbery suspect filed a lawsuit against the surviving suspect.
Rylan Wilder was working as an intern at a music store when he was accidentally shot by a police officer. Police were chasing a bank robbery suspect at the time of the incident.
According to police, suspect Christopher Willis carjacked a woman and then led authorities on a chase into Chicago’s Old Irving Park neighborhood. A police officer shot Willis and he died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Before Will was shot, he ran past Rylan and as it states in the lawsuit “-yet unknown suburban police officers came into UpBeat Music and Arts and started firing their weapons as Rylan Wilder was intending to exit the busines.”
Rylan was shot in the arm and stomach and ran into another room “and saw that his pants and shoes were drenched in blood.” He went into another room where a teacher and five students were. The teacher took them out a side door and took cover behind a parked car.
Rylan’s, father, meanwhile ran toward the store from his car when he received a phone call that his son was shot.
Rylan’s parents said he started working at the store because of his love for music.
“With laser focus, Rylan started following his passion for playing music at a very young age,” the parents state in a GoFundMe page. “He is a driven and talented musician who writes music, sings and plays guitar, drums, bass, and piano.”
They also mentioned that Ryan has already undergone multiple surgeries on his arm and stomach and there are many more on the horizon.
The defendant in the lawsuit is Maurice Murphy, who was the suspect’s alleged accomplice.
“Maurice Murphy knew or should have been aware that his actions … could lead to further acts of violence involving innocent bystanders,” states the suit, filed by Tom Wilder and Lucia Morales.
“Rylan Wilder continues to have bone shards in his left arm that are not repairable,” the lawsuit says. “(He) may never fully recover from his injuries and will likely never regain full use of his injured arm.”