The city is preparing to say its final goodbye to Chicago police Officer John Bartholomew, as visitation for the slain 10-year CPD veteran is underway in Edgewater.
Visitation at St. Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Church began at 2 p.m. One after another, police officers filed into the church. Some paused to talk, others adjusted their uniforms as they stepped inside to pay their respects. The sound of police scanners feeding in and out played over the mid-afternoon wind.
Police Officer John Bartholomew was fatally shot at Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital. (Chicago Police Department)
Bartholomew was shot and killed inside Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital nearly two weeks ago while guarding a suspect. A second police officer, Nelson Crespo, was critically wounded in the same shooting.
Prosecutors have since charged 26-year-old Alphanso Talley with Bartholomew’s killing, alleging that he snuck a gun into the hospital following his arrest, concealed it beneath a blanket and shot the two officers when Bartholomew uncuffed him from his hospital bed. A judge has ordered Talley detained pending trial.
Funeral services will follow in the morning at St. Andrew’s at 10 a.m. The church is located at 5649 N. Sheridan Road.
Several city blocks were closed to accommodate the services Thursday afternoon. Those streets included DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Sheridan Road and Bryn Mawr Avenue, according to the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
Gov. JB Pritzker has ordered that all U.S. and state flags be lowered in honor of Bartholomew. The flags will remain at half-staff until sunset.
In Springfield ahead of the visitation, hundreds of officers from different law enforcement agencies across Illinois gathered for the state’s annual police memorial ceremony. They converged around the memorial wall for fallen officers outside the state Capitol building.
Bartholomew was acknowledged by a few speakers, including Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who said the officer’s grandfather was his priest growing up at St. Andrew’s.
“This year’s memorial event, it’s especially hard for me personally. Tonight, I’ll be at the service for John Bartholomew, a fellow Greek American, a member of our community,” Giannoulias told the crowd in front of the Capitol. “Someone who represents the very best of all of us, someone with a young family, someone who died while actually trying to help someone. And now his family will have to live without him. Please keep Officer Bartholomew and his family in your prayers.”
Afterwards, Giannoulias said Bartholomew’s family is “a beloved family in our community.”
“As someone who’s, you know, got young kids, it hits home in a very real way,” said Giannoulias. “And I think it’s heartbreaking for the family, beloved by a community, beloved by everyone that I’ve talked to from the Chicago Police Department, so just a tragic day for everyone.”
Bartholomew had been with the Chicago Police Department since June 2015. A knack for public service was one of his defining qualities, friends and neighbors have told the Tribune.
He was “known for his generosity and willingness to give without hesitation” his obituary reads. “He found joy in life’s simple pleasures, including his love for good food, his admiration for Batman, and his unmistakable, contagious laugh that could light up any room.”