Reilly's Daughter bar selling t-shirts honoring fallen Chicago police officer John Bartholomew
A South Side Irish bar is stepping up once again, this time to honor a Chicago police officer who was fatally shot at a North Side hospital over the weekend.
Reilly's Daughter bar, located at 4010 W. 111th Street, will honor the fallen officer John Bartholomew by raising funds by selling t-shirts with a tribute on the back of the shirt.
Officer Bartholomew was shot and killed while escorting an armed robbery suspect at Swedish Hospital on Saturday morning, when the suspect somehow got a hold of a gun and shot Bartholomew and his 57-year-old partner. Bartholomew was a 10-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department, according to Supt. Larry Snelling.
The bar's owner, Brendan O'Brien, says first responders run deep in his family. He says he's done this one too many times.
"It's terrible," he said. "We don't enjoy doing. We don't like doing it, but I feel like we have an obligation as a local neighborhood business. A lot of my patrons are police, fire, and first responders. I feel like it's our obligation as a neighborhood place to do these things."
People who want to support the cause can purchase a t-shirt in person at the bar starting at 6 p.m. on Friday.
O'Brien says once they sell out in person, they'll transition to online sales.
All the funds raised will go directly to officer Barholomew's family.