Alphanso Talley, 27, was under arrest for an armed robbery at a Family Dollar store when police took him to Swedish Hospital for a CT scan around 11 a.m. on April 25, police said. According to prosecutors, Talley hid a 10mm handgun under his hospital blanket and, after one officer uncuffed him, opened fire. Officer John Bartholomew was shot in the head; his partner was shot in the side of the face. Talley then shot out a hospital window and fled wearing only a hospital gown.
Police found Talley hours later hiding under a nearby porch with the handgun. Investigators said shell casings from the gun matched those recovered from the hospital. The wounded officer was left in critical condition. Talley was charged with murder, attempted murder, aggravated unlawful restraint, armed robbery, and other counts. When arrested, Talley told officers he had ingested drugs.
Talley was on pretrial release for an April 2025 carjacking at the time of the shooting, authorities said. He has at least seven prior felony convictions. Prosecutors did not detail how Talley got the 10mm handgun into the hospital. The hospital said security searched Talley with a wand as he entered and nothing was detected. A GoFundMe was set up for Bartholomew's family.