{"id":26535,"date":"2026-05-09T15:55:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T15:55:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/26535\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T15:55:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T15:55:41","slug":"hundreds-gather-to-honor-slain-officer-john-bartholomew-a-family-man-who-loved-his-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/26535\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundreds Gather To Honor Slain Officer John Bartholomew, A ‘Family Man’ Who Loved His Job"},"content":{"rendered":"

EDGEWATER \u2014 Police officers, family members and other mourners crowded the streets of Edgewater on Friday for the funeral of Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew, turning Sheridan Road into a sea of dress blues as the city honored the 10-year veteran killed while on duty last month.<\/a><\/p>\n

By 9 a.m., streets surrounding St. Andrew\u2019s Greek Orthodox Church, 5649 N. Sheridan Road, were closed to traffic as hundreds of officers from departments across the Chicago area gathered outside the church.<\/p>\n

Uniformed officers stood in rank-and-file lines along Sheridan Road and spilled onto surrounding side streets as mourners quietly gathered to catch a glimpse of the procession.<\/p>\n

A Chicago Fire Department ladder truck suspended a large American flag above an intersection near the church while the sound of traditional bagpipes and snare drums echoed through the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

Some neighbors watched the funeral procession from nearby sidewalks, while others viewed the service on a screen outside the church. Officers mingled on the church lawn before the funeral began, handing out buttons with Bartholomew\u2019s photo on it.<\/p>\n

\"\"A button is worn in memory of slain Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew before his funeral at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Edgewater on May 8, 2026. Credit: Colin Boyle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"CPD Officer Mendoza holds his daughter before the funeral for slain Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Edgewater on May 8, 2026. Credit: Colin Boyle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

The funeral comes nearly two weeks after Bartholomew, 38, was fatally shot while guarding a robbery suspect at Swedish Hospital in Lincoln Square<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Authorities said Bartholomew and another officer transported robbery suspect Alphanso Talley to the hospital April 25 after he claimed to have swallowed narcotics. Prosecutors said Talley pulled a hidden handgun from beneath a blanket while preparing for a CT scan and opened fire on the officers before briefly escaping custody.<\/p>\n

Neither police nor prosecutors have disclosed how Talley was able to get the gun into the hospital. <\/p>\n

Bartholomew, assigned to the Albany Park (17th) District, died from a gunshot wound to the head. A second officer, a 21-year veteran of the department, was critically wounded and remains hospitalized.<\/p>\n

During the funeral, Police Superintendent Larry Snelling remembered Bartholomew as a dedicated officer who \u201cwalked like a seasoned veteran\u201d and deeply loved both policing and his family.<\/p>\n

\"\"CPD Supt. Larry Snelling, Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Police brass look on before the funeral for slain Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Edgewater on May 8, 2026. Credit: Colin Boyle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have described John in multiple ways. He was a cop\u2019s cop,\u201d Snelling said during the service. \u201cHe was proud, strong. He loved his job, and most importantly, he was a family man who always talked about his family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bartholomew\u2019s brother, James, also addressed mourners inside the packed church, remembering the slain officer as more than a sibling.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wasn\u2019t only my brother, he was my best friend,\u201d James Bartholomew said. \u201cNow he\u2019s gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

The funeral service lasted more than an hour and a half, with Snelling, James Bartholomew and police commanders Jesse Alvarez and Alison Christian all giving remarks.<\/p>\n

Following the service, a bagpipe player left the church about 12:10 p.m., leading the pallbearers carrying Bartholomew\u2019s casket down the steps of the church.<\/p>\n

Snelling and Mayor Brandon Johnson shared a private moment with the family as Snelling handed John\u2019s wife, Renee, a folded Chicago flag following the funeral.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know these officers, I trained most of them,\u201d Snelling said after the service to a group of reporters. \u201cIt\u2019s like losing a relative. It\u2019s something that I deal with, and that\u2019s the same thing as his fellow officers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson asked Chicagoans to continue praying for the Bartholomew family and Officer Nelson Crespo, who remains hospitalized after the shooting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is obviously a very somber and difficult day for his family, for the department and for the people of Chicago,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cWe will continue to pray for Officer Crespo as he makes an incredible recovery. Although we are grieving as a city, as a department and as a family, our resolve to make sure our officers continue showing up every single day on behalf of the people of Chicago, to build safe communities, that mission will continue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Chicago Police and loved ones line up before the funeral for slain Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Edgewater on May 8, 2026. Credit: Colin Boyle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"Chicago Police honor guard are seen reflected in a car door before the funeral for slain Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Edgewater on May 8, 2026. Credit: Colin Boyle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"Chicago Police officers line up following the funeral for slain Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Edgewater on May 8, 2026. Credit: Colin Boyle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"Pallbearers fold the Chicago flag over the casket of slain Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew following his funeral at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Edgewater on May 8, 2026. Credit: Colin Boyle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"Family grieves as pallbearers carry of slain Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew following his funeral at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Edgewater on May 8, 2026. Credit: Colin Boyle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"Chicago Police officers stand on Hollywood Avenue following the funeral for slain Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Edgewater on May 8, 2026. Credit: Colin Boyle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

Support Freedom of the Press<\/p>\n

Independent journalism like this only exists because of readers like you. This World Press Freedom Day, help Block Club raise $20,000<\/a> to fuel high-impact investigations that hold Chicago\u2019s institutions and leaders accountable. Make your tax-deductible donation here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"EDGEWATER \u2014 Police officers, family members and other mourners crowded the streets of Edgewater on Friday for the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26536,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[434,913,8,9,7],"class_list":{"0":"post-26535","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-stories","8":"tag-crime","9":"tag-featured","10":"tag-headlines","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-top-stories"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@news\/116545435909526366","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26535\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}