Man accused of killing Chicago police officer to remain in custody, judge rules
Man accused of killing Chicago police officer to remain in custody, judge rules
The man charged with fatally shooting a Chicago police officer will remain in custody after a judge denied him pretrial release.
CHICAGO - The man charged with fatally shooting a Chicago police officer will remain in custody after a judge denied him pretrial release.
Cook County Judge D'Anthony Thedford ordered Alphanso Talley, 27, held pending trial in connection with the shooting death of Officer John Bartholomew and the critical wounding of another officer Saturday at Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital.
What happened in court:
"It is clear to this court, you're a real and present threat to anyone you're around," said Thedford to Talley. "If you're out, you're dangerous."
Talley faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, armed robbery and aggravated battery of a peace officer, according to the Chicago Police Department. Bartholomew, 38, was killed in the shooting.
CPD Ofc. John Bartholomew was shot and killed on April 25, 2026. (Chicago Police Department)
During the hearing, Judge D’Anthony Thedford repeatedly told Talley to be quiet. At times, Talley smiled and laughed in court. As the hearing concluded, he turned to family members and said, "I love you." They responded, "We’re going to free you."
Cook County deputies told family members to keep their voices down and to leave the courtroom after the hearing.
"If you were in the courtroom, I think you got a sense of why this kid turned out the way that he did," said John Catanzara, president of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police. "His smug attitude, his smiling, the smirking, the laughing, the 'I love yous' from the family, even after hearing the despicable acts that this piece of (expletive) did, it's appalling, it's disgusting."
Prosecutors said Talley had earlier pistol-whipped a 55-year-old Family Dollar employee during an armed robbery. The victim suffered a broken nose, two black eyes and requires surgery.
On Thursday, Chicago police confirmed a second person of interest is being questioned in connection with the Family Dollar armed robbery, though further details haven't been released.
Authorities said multiple witnesses, including hospital staff and a patient, saw the shooting. Part of the incident was captured on video outside a CT scan room.
Thedford said Talley poses a clear threat to the public and would likely attempt to flee if released.
Assistant Public Defender Julie Koehler argued Talley should be granted pretrial release, citing his upbringing in foster care, mental illness and efforts to take classes while incarcerated. Prosecutors, however, pointed to his criminal history and repeated violations of release conditions, including arrests while on electronic monitoring.
"He had a laundry list of things that it should've been common sense to keep this individual behind bars," said Alderman Jim Gardiner, 45th Ward. "To hear the public defender have to argue for why we should let this individual out on our streets is despicable. It makes me wanna throw up."
The backstory:
The shooting occurred about 11 a.m. Saturday at the hospital. Bartholomew and another officer — a 57-year-old, 21-year veteran who has not been publicly identified — were escorting Talley, who was in custody in connection with the earlier robbery.
Prosecutors said Talley told officers he had ingested narcotics and was taken to the hospital. In an exam room, he asked for privacy while changing into hospital scrubs.
Although initially restrained, Talley was unhandcuffed and unshackled before entering the CT room, prosecutors said. They allege he then retrieved a gun hidden under a blanket at the foot of a bed and opened fire on the officers.
Authorities have not said how the gun was brought into the hospital. Someone asked Catanzara if police protocols were followed, specifically when it came to searching Talley, and how he allegedly was able to get his hands on a gun.
"Nobody knows that, for real nobody knows what happened with that gun, nobody knows if it was tucked in a fat fold or tucked inside his body," said Catanzara. "I don't know if we'll ever have that answer because he's certainly not a believable character to explain where it was."
Talley ran out of a hospital window after he allegedly shot through it, and is accused of stealing a hospital worker's ID card to access parts of the hospital.
CPD officers arrested Talley a short time later, after they say he was hiding under a porch blocks away from the hospital. The shooting prompted a temporary closure of the hospital. The wounded officer remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Catanzara told Fox Chicago Thursday, he's alert, his eyes are open and he's able to respond to questions by blinking. He also said the officer appeared to have gained 'sensations' back in his limbs, but they still don't know the long-term impacts he may endure through his injuries.
Response from Talley's family:
Fox Chicago spoke briefly before court with Talley's mother and stepfather, who did not want to go on-camera Thursday before court, but told us they were skeptical of the allegations their son is facing. Prior to the hearing, Talley's mother Tamika told us she wanted to see if there's surveillance video of the incidents.
During the pre-trial hearing, Assistant Cook County State's Attorney Mike Pekara explained there's some surveillance video of the shooting, outside the CT room at the hospital. Pekara also said there's several videos of Talley, and an unknown suspect riding Lime scooters before the Family Dollar incident and after.
He also said there's several videos from neighbors showing Talley running naked through their neighborhood, wearing a hospital bracelet, with medical equipment still attached to his body. Talley is also accused of trying to chase down a U.S. Postal Service worker to get their vehicle.
After the hearing, a woman who identified herself as Faith, Talley's stepsister spoke with Fox Chicago, claiming he's innocent.
"If he did anything, he was in the matrix, or he was insane. He's a very loving person and he's been around my sisters, my family and provided for us," said Faith. "He would never ever do something like this ever in the right state of mind, period."
She said the family didn't like how authorities were describing Talley. We asked her if she thinks Talley shot the officers.
"I wasn't there, I'm not aware, but I know what type of person he is, because I lived with this man for more than years, and this is my person that has provided for us so I know who he is," she said. "I feel like this was all a mistake and all the evidence, it was probably insanity and somebody drugged or something because he is not the type of person to do that."
What's next:
Talley’s family has disputed prosecutors’ account. After the hearing, some relatives said they were unsure what happened but suggested that, if Talley was responsible, he may have been experiencing a mental health crisis.
Talley is scheduled to return to court May 20 and will remain in custody until then.
Funeral arrangements:
Visitation and funeral arrangements for Ofc. Bartholomew was announced on Thursday.
His visitation is set for 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., May 7, at St. Andrew's Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago. The funeral will happen at 10 a.m., May 8, at the same church.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX Chicago's Bret Buganski and previous FOX Chicago reporting.