Man found guilty of fatally shooting Bradley sergeant, wounding her partner in 2021

BRADLEY, Ill. - A man was found guilty on Thursday of fatally shooting a Bradley sergeant and wounding her partner in December 2021.

Darius Sullivan was found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder in the deadly shooting of Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic and the wounding of her partner Tyler Bailey. 

The verdict comes nearly three years after Rittmanic and Bailey responded to a call of a dog barking in a car outside the Comfort Inn.

They traced the car to Sullivan and his girlfriend, Xandria Harris, who were staying at the hotel. The police went to their room where they were attacked and Rittmanic was killed and Bailey was wounded.

In earlier hearings, prosecutors said that Rittmanic, a 21-year law enforcement veteran, was shot once. She ran down the hotel hall and Sullivan stood over her while she pleaded for her life. He fired a fatal shot. Bailey was shot in the head, but survived.

Sullivan previously told the court that he couldn't hire an attorney, and he refused to allow a public defender to represent him, prompting the trial to be delayed. 

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Jury selection began last Monday and spanned two days. Then, last Wednesday, the trial moved forward with the start of opening statements.

"'Let go of the gun. Let go of the gun. Let go of it, or I'm going to kill you.' Those were the last words that Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic, a sergeant with the Bradley Police Department, heard before this defendant pointed her gun, shot her twice in the throat, leaving her for dead on the floor of a hotel hallway," prosecutors said in court.

Additionally, the jury watched video that showed first responders at the scene of the shooting in 2021. It showed the two officers on their backs.

Officer Bailey, who survived the shooting but sustained lasting health issues, testified this week and said he could not recall much from the day of the incident, including the fact that he was on duty.

Closing statements were delivered Thursday, followed by jury deliberation, where Sullivan was found guilty. 

His sentencing date has not yet been announced.