CHICAGO — A judge ordered Monday that Alphanso Talley, 26, will remain in custody on murder and attempted murder charges after prosecutors alleged he shot two Chicago police officers inside a hospital where they brought him for treatment. The case centered on what prosecutors described as Talley’s actions at Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital, where one officer died and another was left in critical condition.
Cook County Circuit Court Judge Luciano Panici Jr. presided over Talley’s first court appearance, with the courtroom packed with Chicago police officers and politicians, including officials from the Illinois political scene. Talley, who did not speak during the hearing, also did not respond when the judge asked him his name twice, according to the proceedings described by prosecutors and court observers.
Prosecutors alleged Talley had been in custody after the police tracked him following an earlier robbery and related assault. They said Talley and another person robbed a Family Dollar store on Saturday morning and then pistol-whipped a female employee, taking her wallet and keys. Police later tracked Talley using a GPS device attached to the money and took him into custody, prosecutors said.
The charging account then described how Talley ended up at the hospital. Prosecutors said Talley told police he had ingested narcotics, prompting a ride to the hospital with the two officers who would later be shot. As Talley was prepared for a CT scan, prosecutors said he undressed and was covered with a blanket before the shooting.
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said in a statement Monday that Officer John Bartholomew, a 10-year veteran, was fatally shot Saturday inside the Swedish Hospital facility. Snelling said the second officer, 57 with 21 years of service, was critically wounded and “is still fighting for his life,” according to the superintendent’s statement shared Monday.
Prosecutors alleged that when Talley reached under the blanket, he pulled out a handgun and shot both officers. The account also said Talley then fled through a window, and that he was later arrested again after investigators pursued him; prosecutors said a handgun matching shell casings from the hospital room was found after his second arrest. Snelling said investigators ultimately recovered three weapons.
Federal court records cited in the case describe the alleged path to the handgun. Prosecutors said charges filed in federal court in Indiana on Monday indicate the gun was purchased illegally through a straw buyer and was not taken from the officers. The federal criminal complaint alleged that the gun was bought in 2024 from a licensed gun dealer in Merrillville, Indiana, about 40 miles southeast of Chicago, and that an ATF agent’s affidavit said the buyer admitted to lying about being a fentanyl addict and providing a false address on the acquisition forms.
According to the federal complaint, prosecutors said the affidavit also described the buyer as having told investigators she purchased the gun for her boyfriend, identified only as “Individual A,” a convicted felon who could not legally possess firearms. The complaint said the buyer was charged with making a material false statement in the acquisition of a firearm.
The hospital described its own response to Talley as consistent with its weapons-screening protocol. In a Facebook posting, the hospital said the suspect was “wanded upon arrival” as part of its search for any weapons, following protocol, and that he was escorted by law enforcement at all times.
At Monday’s hearing, attorneys from the Cook County Public Defender’s office told the court they needed more time to speak with Talley, who will remain in custody, and they said they would seek a mental health evaluation. Talley’s next hearing was scheduled for April 30, and attorneys leaving the courtroom did not comment to reporters afterward.
The hearing also drew high-profile law enforcement and political attention. John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, called the shooting “very bad” and “extremely grave,” according to the account of those proceedings. Prosecutors also said Talley has a criminal record that includes convictions for aggravated battery of a peace officer and for aiding, abetting, possessing or selling a stolen motor vehicle in 2023, along with earlier robbery and firearms convictions, according to Illinois Department of Corrections records.
Snelling said the investigation marked “the first step in accountability,” pointing to the alleged federal and local work that prosecutors said began after police tracked Talley to the hospital and after the officers were shot.