After Chicago police announced that Officer John Bartholomew had died from injuries suffered in a hospital shooting, authorities said the fatal attack unfolded while a man in police custody was receiving treatment and observation at Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital.
Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office records said Bartholomew was pronounced dead just before 1 p.m. Saturday after being shot during the incident, Chicago police said. Police also described Bartholomew as a 10-year veteran of the force.
Police said a second officer was wounded in the Saturday morning shooting and was in critical condition Sunday. Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling told reporters Saturday that the wounded officer, who was 57 and had 21 years of service, was “fighting for his life.”
Authorities said the officers had transported the suspect to the hospital for observation after he was arrested for suspicion of robbery. The suspect later fled from the hospital following the shooting and was taken back into custody, police said.
Police said they have not released the names of the suspect or the wounded officer. Snelling said investigators had recovered three weapons connected to the shooting, according to the police account.
The hospital said in a Facebook posting Saturday that the man in custody of law enforcement was brought to the emergency department for treatment and was “wanded upon arrival,” following protocol. The hospital said the man was escorted by law enforcement at all times.
The hospital added that the man later fired shots at the law enforcement officers and exited the hospital building. Police have not said how the suspect was able to get a gun.
A surveillance photo obtained by the Sun-Times appeared to show the suspect running naked with electrodes on his chest. The police account did not provide additional details about the circumstances of his access to a firearm beyond saying a weapon was recovered after he was taken into custody.
The incident follows the earlier identification and reporting on the officer fatality and the other officer’s critical condition in the same hospital-shooting case. MSI previously reported that an officer died and another was critically injured in the Chicago hospital shooting in that incident.