Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic Killed, Second Officer In Critical Condition After Hotel Shooting In Kankakee County
BRADLEY, Ill. (CBS) -- A manhunt is underway in Kankakee County, after one police officer was killed and another was critically wounded in a shooting Wednesday night at a hotel in the village of Bradley.
Hundreds of people, old, the young, some holding American flags, lined the streets to remember the fallen officer as the ambulance carrying the body of Bradley police sergeant Marlene Rittmanic made its way to the funeral home.
Sergeant Rittmanic was shot and killed overnight and another officer is in critical condition.
Around 9:40 p.m. Wednesday, Bradley Police responded to the Comfort Inn hotel at 1500 N. Illinois Highway 50, after a call reporting dogs barking in an unattended vehicle in the parking lot.
Police said the officers located the vehicle and the possible owner inside a hotel room. Both officers were shot after trying to talk with the people inside the room, Bradley police confirmed.
Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic, 49, died at the hospital.
Officer Tyler J. Bailey, 27, was in critical condition at the hospital.
A procession in Rittmanic's honor was held Thursday afternoon as her body was taken from the morgue to Clancy-Gernon Funeral Home in Bourbonnais.
Kankakee Mayor Christopher Curtis offered his condolences.
"Our hearts are heavy and filled with sorrow for our neighboring City and their police department. On behalf of the City of Kankakee, we offer our prayers to the family, friends, and coworkers of the fallen Bradley police officer. We also provide continuous prayer for the recovery of the other Bradley officer," Curtis said in a statement.
Gov. JB Pritzker said the two officers "are the definition of heroes."
"They showed unwavering courage and the willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect all of us. It's a sacrifice no one should have to make," Pritzker posted on Twitter.
Meantime, police are searching for 25-year-old Darius D. Sullivan and a second suspect, later identified as 26-year-old Xandria A. Harris of Bradley, IL. Police said arrest warrants have been issued for both suspects, and Sullivan should be considered armed and dangerous.
Sullivan has a criminal record in Kankakee County, including a guilty plea to a 2015 theft charge. He also was charged with burglary in 2018, and the case remains open. He also was charged with misdemeanor battery earlier this year.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police. There is a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
