Man found guilty in Bradley police officer deadly shooting learns sentence
BRADLEY, Ill. - The man convicted of fatally shooting Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic and wounding her partner, Officer Tyler Bailey, during a 2021 incident, learned his sentence Tuesday afternoon.
Darius Sullivan has been sentenced to natural life in prison for Rittmanic's death and for injuring Bailey.
The backstory:
On Dec. 29, 2021, Bradley Police Sergeant Marlene Rittmanic and Officer Tyler Bailey responded to the Comfort Inn Hotel in Bradley regarding barking dogs that were left in a vehicle.
When Officer Bailey arrived at the scene around 9:56 p.m., he ran the plates of the suspect vehicle, which was registered with Xandria Harris, prosecutors said.
Officer Bailey then entered the hotel lobby where he met with Sgt. Rittmanic. Bailey then asked a hotel clerk if there were any rooms under Harris or Darius Sullivan, as Bailey had knowledge that Harris was usually in the presence of Sullivan.
Bailey also knew Sullivan was wanted on outstanding arrest warrants for failure to appear in court.
When confronting the pair that were found in a room at the hotel, Sullivan pointed the firearm at Officer Bailey and shot him in the head.
Sullivan then fired a first shot at Sgt. Rittmanic as she attempted to flee the kill zone, prosecutors said. Sullivan then chased Sgt. Rittmanic down the hallway of the hotel and pinned her up against a door.
At that time, Sullivan's firearm jammed, and he was attempting to unjam his firearm using his hand and mouth, while also attempting to disarm Sgt. Rittmanic of her weapon with his other hand.
As Sullivan and Sgt. Rittmanic were struggling, Harris walked down the hallway of the hotel, and Sullivan told Harris to "cock the gun, cock the gun" in regards to his jammed firearm.
Harris reached around the waist of Sullivan, and assisted him in attempting to cock the firearm and/or disarm Sgt. Rittmanic.
Once Harris and Sullivan disarmed Sgt. Rittmanic, they stood over her as she was on the floor.
Harris stood over Sgt. Rittmanic while holding Sullivan's firearm. Sullivan then told Harris to give him the keys.
As she handed over the keys, Sullivan fired two shots from Sgt. Rittmanic's duty weapon, striking her in the throat and neck.
She died as a result of her injuries.
Testimony and Verdict
In September 2024, Darius Sullivan was found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder in the deadly shooting.
The verdict, reached nearly three years after the attack, followed two days of jury selection and a week-long trial that included emotional testimony and graphic evidence from the crime scene.
Jurors viewed body camera footage and testimony from first responders, which showed the officers lying on the floor of the hotel hallway after the attack.
Bailey, who sustained lasting health issues, testified during the trial but was unable to recall details of the incident.
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The Source: Information for this story was gathered from trial testimony, prosecutor statements, and official court records.