2 Suspects in Custody After Cop Killed in Motel Shooting

Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic, 49, had been responding to call about barking dogs in Ill.; partner critically hurt
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 1, 2022 7:30 AM CST
One Cop Dead, Another Injured After Call About Barking Dogs
Darius Sullivan, left, and Xandria Harris.   (Illinois State Police, via Philadelphia Inquirer)

Two suspects in an Illinois motel shooting that left one Bradley police officer dead and another wounded are now in custody. WLS reports that Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic, 49, was shot and killed Wednesday night at a Kankakee County Comfort Inn, while her partner, 27-year-old Tyler Bailey, was left critically wounded. The officers were said to have been responding to a call about dogs barking in an unattended vehicle in the motel's parking lot, per the Philadelphia Inquirer. Two people believed to have been in the motel room with the officers fled the area, but on Friday morning, 25-year-old Darius D. Sullivan was arrested in North Manchester, Ind., during the execution of a search warrant, according to authorities.

Police say that drugs and weapons were also found inside the home where Sullivan was apprehended. "I can confirm that Sullivan is a suspect in the murder of Sgt. Rittmanic and the attempted murder of Officer Bailey," Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield said at a Friday presser, per CNN. Later Friday, the second suspect, 26-year-old Xandria A. Harris, surrendered to Bradley authorities. Illinois State Police say Sullivan is being transported back to Kankakee County; Harris, meanwhile, will appear Monday in bond court. Authorities note that two other people were arrested Thursday, one of them said to be Sullivan's mother, and charged with impeding the search for Sullivan. (More murder suspect stories.)

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