Chicago man charged with murder, attempted murder of CPD officers in Swedish Hospital shooting
A man is charged with murder and attempted murder in the Swedish Hospital shooting that killed one Chicago police officer and critically inured another over the weekend.
Officer John Bartholomew, 38, a 10-year veteran of the department assigned to the Albany Park (17th) District, was killed. The second officer remains in critical condition Monday.
Alphanso Talley, 26, of Chicago is now charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder. He also faces felony charges of attempted armed kidnapping, aggravated battery cuasing great bodily harm, aggravated battery with discharge of a weapon, aggravated battery of a peace officer, aggravated discharge of a firearm in an occupied building, escape from a peace officer, armed robbery, unauthorized posession of a weapon by a felon, poesession of a firearm by a repeat felon, obstrcuction of justice, posession of a fraudulent ID card and three issuances of a warrant.
The shooting that klilled Bartholomew started around 8 a.m. Saturday with the armed robbery of a Family Dollar store at 3239 W. Lawrence Ave. in the Albany Park neighborhood. Surveillance video shows two people arriving on scooters, and moments later, they are seen leaving before police arrive.
Investigators said officers caught up to one of the two suspects, took him into custody, and transported him to Swedish Hospital under police guard for treatment for an unspecified ailment.
At 10:50 a.m. Saturday, the suspect was under police guard in the emergency room at Swedish Hospital when he somehow got a hold of a gun and shot two Chicago police officers.
Bartholomew was killed. A second officer, 57 years old and a 21-year veteran of the force, remained in critical condition Monday morning at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.
Police said the suspect left Swedish Hospital in a gown, and was later taken into custody at a nearby home following a SWAT standoff. A weapon was recovered.
Investigators still have not said how the gun made it inside the hospital.
The charges filed Monday morning are a combination of those for hospital police shooting and for the earlier armed robbery.
Talley's first court hearing is being held this morning.
"Wherever he had that gun hidden on his body, and all indications is he had it down his back side, that wand would have picked it up," said former Chicago police First Deputy Supt. Anthony Riccio. "The first thing that occurred to me is clearly somebody missed the gun."
Funeral arrangements were also pending Monday morning for Officer Bartholomew.