Robbery suspect charged with murder, attempted murder of Chicago police officers at a hospital

CHICAGO (AP) — A robbery suspect now faces murder and attempted murder charges along with a long list of other felony counts in the shooting death of a Chicago police officer and the wounding of another at a hospital where they took him for treatment.

Alphanso Talley, 26, was scheduled to make his first appearance Monday in Cook County Circuit Court, the state’s attorney’s office said. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney to comment on his behalf.

Officer John Bartholomew, 38, a 10-year veteran of the force, was pronounced dead just before 1 p.m. Saturday after being shot at Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.

A second officer was critically wounded in the Saturday morning shooting, police said. His name was not immediately released. Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling said in a statement Monday that the wounded officer — 57 years old with 21 years of service — was “still fighting for his life.”

“Though this does not bring solace to this tragedy, it does bring the first step in accountability,” Snelling said of the charges.

The officers had taken Talley, who had been arrested for suspicion in an armed robbery that morning, to the hospital for observation. He fled after the shooting — a surveillance photo obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times appeared to show him running naked, with electrodes on his chest — and was arrested less than two hours later.

Police have not said how the suspect was able to get a gun. Snelling said investigators ultimately recovered three weapons.

“This shooting was a stark and heartbreaking reminder of the dangers our officers face all too often on this job,” Snelling said.

The hospital said in a Facebook posting that an individual in custody of law enforcement had been brought to the emergency department for treatment and was “wanded upon arrival” in a search for any weapons, following protocol. He was escorted by law enforcement at all times, the hospital said.

According to Illinois Department of Corrections records, 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.