BRADLEY, Ill. – Darius Sullivan, the man convicted of fatally shooting Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic and injuring her partner, Officer Tyler Bailey, in December 2021, was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday afternoon.
Sullivan was found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder following an emotional trial that spanned over two days of jury selection and a week of testimony. His sentencing follows the tragic events that occurred on December 29, 2021, at the Comfort Inn Hotel in Bradley.
On the night of the shooting, Officers Rittmanic and Bailey responded to a report of barking dogs left in a vehicle at the hotel. Bailey ran the suspect vehicle’s license plates, which were linked to Xandria Harris, and suspected that Sullivan, a wanted man with outstanding arrest warrants, was also involved.
After confronting Harris and Sullivan in a hotel room, Sullivan pulled a gun and shot Officer Bailey in the head. As Sgt. Rittmanic tried to flee, Sullivan shot at her and chased her down the hallway. The two struggled near a hotel door as Sullivan’s firearm jammed. Harris assisted Sullivan in unjamming the gun, and together, they disarmed Rittmanic.
Sullivan then stood over the injured officer and shot her twice with her own duty weapon, killing her. The attack was captured on body cameras, and first responders’ testimony provided emotional details of the scene.
Sullivan’s conviction marks the end of a long legal process, as the verdict was delivered nearly three years after the crime. Officer Bailey, who survived the attack but still faces health challenges, testified in the trial but could not recall specific details of the shooting.
Sullivan, now serving a life sentence, will spend the rest of his life in prison for the tragic deaths and injuries he caused.