That’s the backstory of a police officer who was gunned down in his patrol car on New Year’s Eve. It was only days ago when a gunman shot and killed Bradley Police Sergeant Marlene Rittmanic, 49, who had served on the force for years. After a 36-hour manhunt, police officers were able to track down 25-year-old Darius Sullivan, the suspected gunman, and arrest him. Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic died during the firefight with the gunmen while her 27-year-old partner Ty Bailey was wounded in the shootout that took place at a Comfort Inn hotel in Kankakee, which is a suburb south of Chicago.
“In a multi-jurisdictional effort, two alleged cop killers have been taken into custody today and will now face justice,” Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly stated.
Rittmanic had been with the Bradley Police Department for fourteen years at the time of her death. When she and her partner arrived on the scene of a dog barking in a vehicle in the motel parking lot, they discovered something that would rock an entire community.
They went to their motel room after finding the owner of the vehicle in which a dog was found. According to police records, Sullivan and Xandria A. Harris, 26, began attacking the two cops before they opened fire on them. Rittmanic’s death ended Bailey’s life and sent him to the hospital.
After a weeks-long search that included numerous police departments, Sullivan was discovered hiding in a home in North Manchester, Indiana, near Fort Wayne. On Friday at 9:30 a.m., police officers, aided by the US Marshals and a SWAT team, conducted the search warrant on Rittmanic’s house. Sullivan was arrested for murdering Rittmann and injuring her juvenile companion when police discovered him hiding in the residence with 19-year-old Daniel Acros, who was detained for reasons unknown. “Also at the house, several weapons and narcotics were also recovered,” Sgt. Glen Fifield with Indiana State Police declared. Later that day, Harris surrendered to the Bradley Police Department and was charged with criminal homicide.
Her partner, who was wounded in the gun battle, was taken to the hospital. Bailey was rushed to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois, where he received brain surgery following the attack. He is currently in critical condition, but his condition has been stabilized. “The Law Enforcement family and the community lost a devoted officer, and another continues to fight for his life. The ISP will continue to offer our prayers and support to the Bradley Police Department during this difficult time,” Kelly stated.
Illinois authorities are currently working with Indiana authorities to extradite Sullivan so he can face charges of murder and attempted murder. Meanwhile, Harris maintains her innocence, according to attorney Phil Haddad. “She maintains her innocence. She’s a mother of three children, and she’s pregnant,” Haddad declared. On the following Monday, she will go to bond court on her own accord. Fifield said, “Any time an officer is killed in the line of duty, no matter where it happens in the country, it affects all of us.”
