Chicago, IL (AP) – A robbery suspect who allegedly pulled a handgun from under a blanket at a Chicago hospital and shot the two officers who brought him there for treatment will remain jailed on charges of murder and attempted murder, a judge ordered Monday.
A handcuffed Alphanso Talley, 26, was escorted into a Cook County courtroom packed with Chicago police officers and politicians for his first appearance, and did not speak during the hearing, not even when Circuit Court Judge Luciano Panici Jr. twice asked him his name.
Officer John Bartholomew, 38, a 10-year veteran, was fatally shot Saturday inside at Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital. A second officer — 57 years old with 21 years of service — was critically wounded and is “still fighting for his life,” Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said in a statement Monday.
“This shooting was a stark and heartbreaking reminder of the dangers our officers face all too often on this job,” the superintendent said.
Prosecutors allege that Talley and an unknown person robbed a Family Dollar store on Saturday morning and then pistol-whipped a female employee, stealing her wallet and keys. Police later tracked Talley through a GPS device attached to the money, and took him into custody. Then he told police he had ingested narcotics, prompting a ride to the hospital with the two officers, police said.
As Talley was prepared for a CT scan, he took his clothes off and a blanket was placed over him. Talley then reached under the blanket, pulled out a handgun and shot both officers, prosecutors alleged.
Talley then fled through a window. A surveillance photo obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times appeared to show him running naked, with electrodes on his chest. He was eventually arrested again, found with a 10 mm handgun matching shell casings from the hospital room, according to prosecutors. Snelling said investigators ultimately recovered three weapons.
Prosecutors did not detail how Talley got the weapon, but charges filed in federal court in Indiana on Monday indicate it was purchased illegally through a straw buyer and was not taken from the officers.
The hospital said in a Facebook posting that the suspect was “wanded upon arrival” in a search for any weapons, following protocol, and that he was escorted by law enforcement at all times.
In court, attorneys from the Cook County Public Defender’s office said they needed more time to speak with Talley, who will remain in custody. They also said they’d seek a mental health evaluation. Talley’s next hearing was scheduled for April 30.
Attorneys leaving the hearing did not comment to reporters. The hearing was packed with officers, aldermen, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza and the head of the Chicago police union. He said the second officer, whose identity has not been released, remained in critical condition.
“It’s very bad,” said John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7. “It’s extremely grave.”
Talley’s criminal record includes convictions for aggravated battery of a peace officer and for aiding, abetting, possessing or selling a stolen motor vehicle in 2023, as well as previous robbery and firearms convictions, according to Illinois Department of Corrections records.
The federal criminal complaint filed Monday alleges the gun suspected of being used in the shootings was bought by a woman from a licensed gun dealer in 2024 in Merrillville, Indiana, about 40 miles southeast of Chicago.
Investigators from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Chicago Police Department, interviewed her Saturday in the Chicago suburb of Harvey, Illinois.
An ATF agent’s affidavit said she admitted to lying about being a fentanyl addict when she said she was not addicted to any controlled substance, and to providing a false address on the form, both of which would have disqualified her from buying the gun.
The sworn statement said she told investigators that she bought it for her boyfriend at the time, identified in the complaint only as Individual A, a convicted felon who could not legally buy or possess firearms. She was charged with making a material false statement in the acquisition of a firearm.
“Though this does not bring solace to this tragedy, it does bring the first step in accountability,” Snelling’s statement said in praising the investigation.
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Karnowski reported from Minneapolis.
