Father claims he was culpably killed in Blue Island shooting

A father is suing the Blue Island Police Department and two officers, alleging that he was responsible for the wrongful death of his 21-year-old son, who was shot and killed by police on June 1, 2023, while sitting in the driver’s seat of his car.

William Burruss Sr. said his son, Burruss Jr., was an eager student who had one year left at Millikin University in Decatur.

“He told me we need to set some more goals because I’m going to graduate. I’m doing this for you,” Burruss Sr. said.

Burruss Sr. recalled the last Christmas he spent with his son and how he gave him ten different gifts, including foot warmers and blankets.

“He said, ‘Dad, I just wanted to give you ten different presents,'” Burruss Sr. recalls. “He loved to see people smile. He loved to give people things.”

Nearly a year after his son’s death, Burruss Sr. filed a lawsuit on May 20 accusing the Blue Island Police Department and Officers David Nedved and Bryan Holwell of wrongful death and willful and wanton negligence. He also filed two additional charges against the police for lack of training and lack of supervision.

Louis Meyer of Meyer and Kiss, the law firm representing Burruss, said the firm agreed to take on the lawsuit after reviewing police body camera footage.

“There is bodycam footage from all officers,” Meyer said. “After our review, we watched it with the family and truly thought this was an unjustified shooting.”

Blue Island City Manager Tom Wogan said Holwell, who fired the fatal shot, has been on leave since the shooting after filing a claim for compensation.

Burruss Jr.’s death remains under investigation by the Illinois State Police Public Integrity Task Force. According to the state police website, the case has been forwarded for review by the state attorney general’s office.

The city will not take action until the Illinois State Police complete their investigation, Wogan said.

Burruss Sr., a Cook County sheriff’s deputy, was looking for answers after learning his son was killed, but said it has been difficult to get information from Blue Island and state police.

“I kept calling when the situation with my son came up. I kept going to Blue Island and they finally referred me to the Integrity Unit,” he said. “But every time I try to get any information, the healing process never begins. I feel like I’m constantly blindfolded.”

According to the lawsuit, the police response was a wellness check requested by a neighbor of Burruss Jr. after he saw him sleeping in his car with the door ajar.

“The neighbor was just concerned because his neighbor was sleeping in his car … because his head was laid back, his mouth was open, he was just unconscious asleep, and so a well-being check ended with Mr. Burruss’ death,” Meyer said.

Officer Holwell arrived at the scene at 1:41 a.m. and found the car door closed. When he looked through the car window, Holwell saw a firearm in the passenger seat and called for backup, the lawsuit states.

Meyer said he is unsure why there was a firearm in Burruss Jr.’s car, but believes the officers who responded to the call assumed Burruss Jr.’s possession of the gun was illegal without checking to see if he had a permit to carry the weapon concealed.

Based on his review of the body camera footage, Meyer said Burruss Jr. never reached for the gun or pointed it at a police officer.

“At no point during the incident did William pick up the gun, point it at anyone or anything like that,” Meyer said.

When additional officers arrived on the scene, they surrounded the vehicle. According to the indictment, Sergeant Nedved ordered officers to break the driver’s side window of Burruss Jr.’s car in case he tried to flee or reach for a weapon.

The lawsuit alleges that after Burruss Jr. woke up, Holwell pointed his gun at him and ordered him to stay still and show his hands. Burruss Jr. complied, but then tried to grab a cellphone with his right hand while keeping his left hand raised, the lawsuit says.

Meyer said this prompted Nedved to smash the driver’s side window.

Officers ordered Burruss Jr. to exit the vehicle, but when he shielded his face from the broken glass and said he wanted to comply, Holwell fired his weapon, striking Burruss Jr. in the upper body, the lawsuit states.

He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead.

According to a 2023 police statement, officers saw an AR-15 in the vehicle, and when Burruss Jr. woke up, he reached for the passenger seat where the gun was.

Burruss Sr. is seeking more than $50,000 and is leaving the decision on further amounts to the jury. For him, the lawsuit was not about financial compensation, but about accountability.

“I want justice for my son. My son’s life is priceless to me,” he said. “It’s priceless. So I don’t even look at it, but there’s nothing they can give me as compensation for the loss of my child.”

The first court date is set for July 25. Meyer said both parties can request additional documents and schedule testimony that day.