Police Officer Pleaded For Her Life Before Being Shot To Death With Her Own Gun

Police Officer Pleaded For Her Life Before Being Shot To Death With Her Own Gun Bradley Police Dept.

An Illinois police officer is said to have pleaded for her life before she was shot to death with her own gun earlier this month, prosecutors say. Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic, 49, was fatally shot while her partner, Officer Tyler Bailey, was seriously injured during an incident at the Comfort Inn hotel in Bradley after responding to a call about a dog barking in an empty vehicle in the hotel’s parking lot, NBC News reports.

Darius Sullivan and Xandria Harris

  1. The two suspects were arrested and charged. Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe is urging federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for the two suspects, 25-year-old Darius Sullivan and 26-year-old Xandria Harris. Both have been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder.
  2. The suspects shot the officers for no reason. After responding to the scene, Rittmanic and Bailey spoke to the possible owners of the vehicle, Sullivan and Harris, from outside the door of a hotel room. Soon after, the pair emerged from the hotel room and shot both officers, according to a Bradley Police Dept. statement. Sullivan was said to have been the one holding the 9mm handgun, NBC Chicago reports. He is alleged to have shot Bailey in the head before pointing the gun at Rittmanic and shooting her as she tried to run away.
  3. The murder was deliberate and violent. At Harris’s bond hearing, the court heard that Sullivan chased Rittmanic down the hallway, pinned her against the door, and attempted to steal Rittmanic’s gun while unjamming his own. Harris is believed to have helped him disarm Rittmanic. They allegedly stood over her as she lay injured. “Sgt. Rittmanic was pleading with them to ‘just leave, you don’t have to do this, please just go, please don’t, please don’t,'” Rowe said. “She was desperately pleading for her life.”
  4. Rittmanic died that same day. Sullivan soon fired two shots from what they say was Rittmanic’s gun, hitting her in the neck. At that point, Harris reportedly handed Sullivan keys and told him “You have to go” as he ran away. She then went back to the hotel room, gathered her two children and her belongings, and left as well. Rittamanic died later that night while Bailey continues to “fight for his life” in the hospital.
  5. Sullivan was arrested soon after. After authorities received a warrant to search a home in North Manchester, Indiana, Sullivan was taken into custody. Harris turned herself in later that same day. They were both charged. Sullivan is charged with six counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, and one of aggravated battery with a firearm. Harris is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder. Both were refused bail.
Jennifer Still is a writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience. The managing editor of Bolde, she has bylines in Vanity Fair, Business Insider, The New York Times, Glamour, Bon Appetit, and many more. You can follow her on Twitter @jenniferlstill
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