Chicago Officer Killed, Second Critical After Hospital Shooting of Custody Patient

A Chicago police officer died Saturday after a robbery suspect in police custody opened fire at a hospital emergency department, killing one officer and leaving a second fighting for his life, authorities said.

Officer John Bartholomew, 38, a 10-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department, was pronounced dead just before 1 p.m. Saturday at Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. A second officer — 57 years old with 21 years of service — remained in critical condition Sunday. His name has not been released.

The two officers had transported the unidentified suspect, who had been arrested on suspicion of robbery, to the hospital for medical observation. The wounded officer was "fighting for his life," Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling told reporters Saturday. Police have not said how the suspect obtained a firearm inside the facility.

The hospital said in a public statement Saturday that the individual was "wanded upon arrival" per protocol and was escorted by law enforcement at all times. The man nonetheless fired shots at the officers and fled the building. He was later taken back into custody; investigators recovered a weapon at the time of his rearrest. A total of three weapons were recovered as part of the investigation, Snelling said.

The suspect's name has not been released. No charges have been announced as of Sunday. The Chicago Police Department's Civilian Office of Police Accountability and the department's own investigative units were expected to review the circumstances of the shooting, though no timeline for those findings has been confirmed.

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