SGT. Marlene Rittmanic
Officer: Bradley Police Department, Sergeant Marlene Rittmanic
Date: 12/29/2021 Location: Bradley, IL FACTORS (1,2,7,8,12,14,15,19)
Perpetrator(s) Involved: Darius D. Sullivan; Xandria A. Harris
Criminal Activity History/Involved: Yes, Sullivan pled guilty to theft in 2016, was charged in 2018 with burglary and earlier in 2021 with misdemeanor battery./ Yes, the officers were investigating a noise complaint related to barking dogs and Sullivan had active warrants.
Mental Illness: Unknown.
Substance Abuse History/Involved: Unknown./ None stated.
Race/Sex/Age: Sullivan: Black/Male/25; Harris: Black/Female/26
What prompted the initial contact with the killer? At approximately 9:40 p.m. on December 29, 2021, Bradley Police Sergeant Marlene Rittmanic and her partner Officer Tyler Bailey responded to an area motel for a 911 call of a noise complaint about unattended barking dogs in a car. At the scene, the officers tracked down the apparent owner of the barking dogs to a motel room occupied by and Xandria Harris and Darius Sullivan whom they knew had active warrants.
Actions taken by subject toward police: After making the officers wait outside the motel room door for 14 minutes, Harris opened it up and tried to quickly shut it and exit so the officers could not see Sullivan in the room. As the officers tried to push past Harris who kept blocking them from getting into the room, Sullivan appeared from behind a corner in the room and shot PO Bailey in the head before shooting at Sgt. Rittmanic. The injured Sgt. Rittmanic ran from the room and was chased down in the hallway by Sullivan who held her against a door until Harris caught up and helped him disarm her. With his own gun jammed, (as captured on her body cam video) - Sullivan then used Sgt. Rittmanic’s duty weapon to shoot her twice in the neck as she begged him to spare her life. After murdering Sgt. Rittmanic, Sullivan and Harris fled the motel.
Reactions by the police: Sgt. Rittmanic and Officer Bailey were transported to the hospital where she was declared dead, and he was in critical condition. A manhunt for the suspects ensued and during the morning of December 31, 2021, Sullivan was tracked down and arrested without further incident at a house he was hiding in. Harris turned herself in at the police station.
How murdered? Sgt. Rittmanic was ambushed and shot dead handling a noise complaint.
What could have been done differently for the officer to still be alive? The officers were doing their job, handling a 911 call and preparing to take a wanted subject into custody – they could not have anticipated being ambushed at the motel door. Had the officers pushed past Harris immediately they may have faced the same outcome so it is difficult to second guess.
Would the officer have been justified to use deadly force before being murdered? N/A, the officers never had a chance to draw their weapons as they were ambushed by Sullivan who was hidden from their view while his Harris was struggling with them at the door.
Outcome for the cop-killer: Sullivan was arrested, and faces charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and aggravated battery using a firearm. He was also charged for possession of drugs and weapons found at the house he was captured in. Harris turned herself in at a local police station and faces charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder.
