A man already on pretrial release for a different criminal matter allegedly opened fire at a Chicago hospital on Saturday, resulting in the death of one police officer and the injury of another, according to prosecutors.
Authorities charged 27-year-old Alphanso Talley on Monday following accusations that he fatally shot 38-year-old Officer John Bartholomew of the Chicago Police Department at Swedish Hospital, while also wounding a second officer.
The incident reportedly occurred around 11 a.m. when Talley, who had been brought to the hospital under arrest for a prior armed robbery, allegedly drew a concealed gun from beneath a blanket during his transfer to a CT scan and fired at the officers.
After the shooting, Talley is said to have fled, only to be discovered hiding under a porch nearby. Prosecutors stated that he was still clad in his hospital gown and in possession of a 10mm handgun. Shell casings from the scene were matched to the weapon found with Talley.
Talley faces multiple charges including 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.
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.
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