Ex-Wonder Lake man pleads guilty after son finds pellet gun, shoots sibling with it

A former Wonder Lake man was sentenced Friday to one year of conditional discharge for not providing medical care to his child when he was shot with a pellet gun by a sibling.

Tyler Fish, 27, who now lives in Sharon, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty to reckless conduct, a Class 4 felony, and endangering the life or health of a child, a misdemeanor, according to a McHenry County court order signed by Judge Tiffany Davis.

On Sept. 6, 2022, Fish failed to “properly secure” a pellet gun, and his 6-year-old child found it and shot a 4-year-old sibling in the back, “causing great bodily harm,” according to the criminal complaint. More than a year later, on Oct. 2, 2023, the child was examined after an investigation by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Doctors found that the child had “an apparent projectile located inside” his back, according to the complaint.

Police said Fish admitted that his older child brought the pellet gun to him and that the younger child said he was shot, court records said.

In sentencing Fish, Davis noted that Fish has no criminal history, his conduct was the result of circumstances unlikely to recur, his character and attitude show he is not likely to commit another crime, and he is likely to comply with the terms of his probation, according to the order.