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In a tragic turn of events at a Chicago hospital, a man who was out on pretrial release for a different criminal matter allegedly shot and killed a police officer while wounding another. Prosecutors have identified the suspect as 27-year-old Alphanso Talley.
On Monday, charges were brought against Talley following the death of Officer John Bartholomew, 38, of the Chicago Police Department. The incident occurred on Saturday at Swedish Hospital, where Talley was reportedly in custody due to a prior armed robbery charge.
According to the prosecution, the shooting took place around 11 a.m. while Talley was being transported for a CT scan. It is alleged that he retrieved a concealed gun from beneath a blanket and opened fire on the officers.
After the shooting, Talley managed to escape but was later discovered by authorities hiding under a porch in the vicinity. At that time, he was still wearing his hospital gown and allegedly in possession of a 10mm handgun. Prosecutors noted that the shell casings found at the hospital matched those from Talley’s firearm.
Talley fled the scene and was found hiding under a nearby porch, where prosecutors said he was still in his hospital gown and allegedly still in possession of a 10mm handgun. Prosecutors said shell casings from the gun matched those that were recovered at the hospital.
He was charged with murder, attempted murder, aggravated unlawful restraint, armed robbery, aggravated discharge of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a felon, aggravated battery of a peace officer, aggravated battery, escape and unlawful use of a weapon.
Chicago police officers stand outside a hospital in Chicago awaiting updates on two officers shot during a prisoner transport incident at Swedish Hospital on April 25, 2026. A suspect was taken into custody after a brief manhunt in the neighborhood. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Talley has a prior gun-related conviction from 2021 and four aggravated robbery convictions from 2017, which prosecutors say qualify him for a charge of unlawful possession of a weapon by a repeat offender.
At the time Talley was accused of murdering Bartholomew and shooting another officer, he was out of jail on pretrial release for a previous armed robbery case, according to the Chicago Tribune.
A warrant for his arrest was issued on March 11 while he was on pretrial release for the alleged armed robbery.
Talley was ordered to be detained on Monday during a court hearing and was remanded to the Cook County Department of Corrections.
John Catanzara, Chicago Fraternal Order of Police president, said during a news conference that the shooting should be a wake up call for Illinois politicians.
Chicago Police Department officers respond to an incident in Chicago, Illinois, on March 29, 2022. (Getty Images)
“I’m going to ask you something. Are you going to continue to be there and call out these judges and politicians and the SAFE-T Act and all the poor decisions that have been made in this building and in Springfield that have led to this moment? Or you’re going to fade off into the sunset once this bond hearing is done and the trial is done?
“Without pressure from the media, nothing changes. It just doesn’t. They literally go hide in a corner and continue on with their nonsense of trying to let criminals out on the street in any way, shape or form they can and excuse bad behavior. It needs to f—— stop. It just does,” Catanzara said.