A patient in police custody killed one officer and wounded another, authorities say. Hospitals should take a closer look at their own procedures for handling those in custody.
A patient in police custody killed one officer and wounded another, authorities say. Hospitals should take a closer look at their own procedures for handling those in custody.
A suspect has been charged with fatal shooting a police officer and wounding another officer in a Chicago hospital, and the tragedy is another disturbing reminder of the risk of violence on hospital campuses.
The Chicago police department said Monday that Alphanso Talley, 26, of Chicago, has been charged with first-degree murder and with attempted murder. Police say the officers transported the suspect to Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital for treatment in the emergency department Saturday morning.
Police say the suspect managed to get a firearm and shoot the two officers before fleeing the hospital. Police said Talley was captured a little more than three hours later.
Authorities identified the fallen officer as John Bartholomew. A 10-year veteran of the Chicago police department, Barthologmew was 38 years old. The other officer, a 21-year member of the department, remains in critical condition, authorities said.
Endeavor Health issued a statement Monday expressing its sympathy to the families of the officers and also provided more details on the incident. The health system said the suspect was searched after arriving at the hospital.
“In accordance with Endeavor Health public safety weapon detection protocols, this individual was wanded upon arrival,” the system said. “He was escorted by law enforcement at all times. The individual later fired shots at the law enforcement officers and exited the hospital building.”
None of the hospital staff were injured and no patients were hurt during the incident, Endeavor said.
“The safety of our patients and team members remains our top priority. We are cooperating with law enforcement during their investigation and our deepest compassion remains with the officers and their families,” the health system said.
‘A tragic event’
Paul Sarnese, founder and Principal of Secured & Prepared Consulting, has spent decades in the security of hospitals and health systems. He said the fatal shooting at Swedish Hospital is “gut-wrenching.”
“Prisoner patients are brought in all the time, and it puts everybody at risk,” Sarnese says. “And unfortunately this, this was a tragic event that occurred.”
Sarnese noted that Endeavor did use a wand to scan the suspect for metal, which he says is a standard procedure in such situations.
“It sounds like they followed their protocol,” Sarnese told Chief Healthcare Executive®. “He was ‘wanded’ by the hospital, which is a good standing protocol. You never want to assume that they’ve already searched the patient. So they wanded the individual. Obviously, it appears nothing was detected at that time, based on what we know.”
What hospitals can do
Speaking generally, Sarnese said there are some steps hospitals can take in light of the tragedy, including a closer examination of their own procedures involving individuals in police custody.
“It would start with looking at their current process,” Sarnese says. “What is the current process for when custodial patients come in? Do they have clear communication with local law enforcement?”
Typically, law enforcement agencies should notify hospitals prior to their arrival that they are bringing someone to the emergency room, Sarnese says. There are certain routes where those individuals are brought into the emergency room. He said some hospitals will have staff meet police and the prisoner outside the emergency room, and may provide a wheelchair as well.
Health systems should also identify certain rooms to examine patients who are in custody, and those rooms shouldn’t be adjacent to exits to reduce the risk of an escape attempt. Those rooms should not have items that can be “weaponized.”
Hospital security staff should be alerted that a patient is arriving in custody, he says, so they can make sure police or corrections officers have some type of orientation to the facility.
“Now’s the time for hospitals to evaluate their current process and see if there’s opportunities for improvement,” Sarnese says.
Health systems can also look at standards from the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety, he said.
Hospital leaders can also be proactive and contact local law enforcement agencies to review procedures and make sure everyone is aware of protocols for bringing in those in custody to the hospital.
“I think the biggest thing is really to look at your current processes and look for opportunities for improvement,” Sarnese says.
Hospitals across the country have seen violent incidents that have led to the death of hospital staff and police officers in recent months.
Andrea Merrell, a security guard at M Health Fairview Lakes Medical Center in Wyoming, Minnesota, was attacked by a patient on Christmas Day and died two days later. The patient tried to leave the hospital’s emergency department in defiance of a medical hold, according to court papers.
Alberto Rangel, a social worker at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, was fatally stabbed by a patient in December 2025. After that tragedy, the hospital vowed to improve safety measures.
WakeMed police officer Roger Smith was shot and killed last November at the WakeMed Garner Healthplex in Garner, North Carolina, a city just outside of Raleigh. Officials said the shooting took place in the emergency department lobby and Smith likely saved other lives.
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