Ex-Wonder Lake father charged after child, 6, shoots sibling, 4, with pellet gun, authorities say

A former Wonder Lake man is accused of failing to provide medical care to his 4-year-old child after a 6-year-old sibling shot the younger child with a pellet gun in the back, according to a charge filed in McHenry County court.

Tyler Fish, 26, was charged in October with reckless conduct, a Class 4 felony, and endangering the life or health of a child, according to a criminal complaint from McHenry County prosecutors.

Fish is accused of not “properly securing his pellet gun” in September 2022, when his then 6-year-old child found it and shot a younger sibling in the back, “causing great bodily harm,” according to the complaint.

A subsequent investigation by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services led to a medical examination of the child Oct. 2 and the discovery – more than a year after the incident – of “an apparent projectile located inside” the child’s back, according to the complaint.

According to the criminal complaint, Fish admitted that his older child brought the pellet gun to him and that the younger child confirmed having been shot by the sibling.

Fish, who documents indicate has moved to Sharon, Wisconsin, also is accused of “never” taking the child to the doctor after the incident.

Fish, who does not have an attorney listed in his file, is due back in court for a status hearing Wednesday.

Conviction on a Class 4 felony carries a prison term of between one and three years in prison but also is probational.