Man convicted of murder of Bradley, Illinois police sergeant in 2021 incident

KANKAKEE, Ill. (CBS) -- A jury on Thursday found a man guilty murder in a shooting that killed a Bradley, Illinois police sergeant and wounded an officer in 2021.

Following a trial, Darius Sullivan was convicted of shooting and killing Bradley police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic with her own service weapon in December 2021. 

"It's a victory to us and to the family," said Bradley police Chief Don Barber. "However, it is hard at this point to feel justice."

Xandria Harris, 26, was also charged in the crime. Her trial date has not been set.

Rittmanic and her partner, Tyler Bailey, were responding to a call about barking dogs in a parked car outside a hotel in Bradley. Prosecutors said Bailey ran the license plate of the car with the barking dogs and found it belonged to Harris.

Prosecutors said Rittmanic and Bailey went upstairs to the hotel room where Harris and Sullivan were staying with the intention of issuing a ticket for a local noise ordinance violation against Harris because of the barking dogs and arresting Sullivan on outstanding warrants.

Harris initially kept officers waiting at the hotel room door but then tried to squeeze past the door and close it to prevent officers from arresting Sullivan, prosecutors said. Sullivan came from around the room with gun in hand and shot Bailey in the head, prosecutors said.

Sullivan then chased Rittmanic down the hallway, and disarmed her to get a hold of her gun when his gun jammed, prosecutors said. He fired the shots that killed her as she lay on the floor, prosecutors said.

Bailey was left critically wounded by the shooting, and spent nearly a year in a rehab hospital.

Sentencing for Sullivan is scheduled for November.