Suspect in shooting that killed Officer Bartholomew ordered detained; funeral arrangements announced
The man accused of shooting two Chicago police officers, one fatally, was taken into custody, awaiting trial Thursday.
Alphanso Talley appeared in court Thursday. Members of his family were present, as was the widow of Chicago police officer John Bartholomew, whom Talley is accused of fatally shooting.
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Talley was reprimanded several times for speaking out during the hearing.
Questions remain as to how a repeat and violent offender was not incarcerated after allegedly committing other crimes.
Some also question the effectiveness of Cook County’s electronic monitoring program while calling for reforms to Illinois’ SAFE-T Act.
Court records show Talley had an outstanding arrest warrant for committing carjacking and armed robbery before Saturday’s shooting at Swedish Hospital.
It was there that he was accused of killing Bartholomew and injuring his partner.
This happened after Talley was arrested for armed robbery a few hours earlier in the day.
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A judge had released the seven-time felon on electronic monitoring for his previous crimes that he violated when he failed to appear in court in March to face those charges.
The 26-year-old has been charged with more than half a dozen crimes since 2017.
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As the tragedy leads some Republican lawmakers to call for changes to the SAFE-T Act, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker criticized Judge John Lyke, who released Talley on electronic monitoring before last Saturday’s shooting.
“And you saw that the judge, you know, wants to blame everyone, but it was right in front of the judge,” Governor Pritzker said. “The judge could have made the decision, but he didn’t.”
Proponents of pretrial release say 94 percent of people released while awaiting trial never commit another crime.
Meanwhile, questions remain about how Talley got the gun into Swedish Hospital that day.
Sources told ABC7 that Talley was likely searched three times without a weapon being detected.
At last check, Agent Bartholomew’s partner is still in the hospital but his condition is improving.
Funeral arrangements announced
Bartholomew’s visitation will be held on May 7 from 2-8 p.m. at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church, located at 5649 N. Sheridan Road in Chicago.
The funeral is planned for May 8 at 10 a.m. at the same location.
