Cops have gathered for the visitation of a murdered Illinois police officer, who is said to have been gunned down by career criminal w...
Cops have gathered for the visitation of a murdered Illinois police officer, who is said to have been gunned down by career criminal while responding to a call about killer's barking dogs.
Fellow officers and friends honored Sergeant Marlene Rittmanic in the chapel at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois, an hour away from Chicago, from Thursday.
All wore their full uniforms, with many also wearing masks and gloves.
American flags lined the entryway to the funeral as first responders and former military personnel paraded into the venue around 5pm to pay their respects at the visitation on Thursday. Her funeral will be at the same location at 10am on Friday.
Rittmanic was allegedly killed by Darrius Sullivan, 25, at the Comfort Inn in Bradley, Illinois, after her and partner - who is currently in the hospital with gunshot injures to the head - responded to a called regarding Sullivan's barking dogs.
First responders lined up looking somber as they prepared to head inside the Olivet Nazarene University chapel on Thursday night for the funeral visitation for fallen Illinois cop Marlene Rittmanic
American flags lined the property as officers and former military personnel
Rittmanic died on December 30 after she and her partner responded to a call at Comfort Inn in Bradley, Illinois. When they arrived at Darrius Sullivan and his pregnant girlfriend's door, where Sullivan allegedly shot her partner in the head and chased Rittmanic down the hall and shot her several times while she begged for her life
Rittmanic and partner Tyler Bailey knocked on the door of their room at the Comfort Inn for 14 minutes before Xandria Harris, 26 - Sullivan's pregnant girlfriend - cracked the door open, only enough to slip through while still protecting Sullivan inside, on December 30.
The two police officers were responding to a call about the couple's barking dogs which they'd left in their car in the parking lot of the motel but Sullivan is the subject of multiple arrest warrants.
When he finally swung the door open, Sullivan was brandishing a 9mm handgun, prosecutors say
He first shot Bailey in the head then chased Rittmanic down the hall and shot her in multiple times while she lay on the ground begging for her life, it is alleged.
He and Harris then went on the run. They were arrested on December 31 and are now both facing the death penalty.
Bailey was also shot in the head but he survived and was taken to the hospital where he remains. In a statement last night, his family said he is 'far from out of the woods'.
'While we are not able to go into specific details about the severity of Tyler's condition, we can certainly say that without the surgical intervention, Tyler would not have survived the remainder of the day on December 30.
'After the procedure, we are cautiously optimistic about beginning discussions for Tyler's recovery over the short term, although he is far from out of the woods at this point.
A former officer wore a button with Rittmanic's face on it to the visitation on Thursday night
Rittmanic's partner was unable to say goodbye as he is currently in the hospital with a gunshot wound
Saddened officers hugged each other as they entered the venue to pay their respects
'Since the surgery, Tyler has continued to fight for his life. He is stable but remains in very critical condition,' they said in the statement that was issued online by Illinois State Police.
Rittmanic's funeral has been scheduled for Friday in Boubonnais, Illinois.
There is growing fury about the fact that Sullivan, who has been arrested 21 times since 2014, was even on the street.
He was the subject of an arrest warrant for battery dating back to last May, but it's unclear what the details of that case are.
Prosecutors are demanding that the pair be sentenced to death for the 'cold blooded' murder of Sergeant Rittmanic.
Darius Sullivan started shooting at the two officers as soon as his pregnant girlfriend Xandria Harris opened the door of their hotel room. The pair now face the death penalty. The cops had been called because they'd left their dogs in their car and the animals were barking
Sullivan's rap sheet starts in June 2014, when he was 19 years old
They have been charged by state prosecutors so far, who cannot seek the death penalty in state court because Illinois has no death penalty.
Federal prosecutors can however seek it as a punishment if they bring charges against the pair. It remains to be seen if that will happen.
The state's case will go to a grand jury on January 22.
The next court appearance for either of the pair is on January 27, when Xandria Harris is due before a judge.