Manhunt For Suspects In Illinois Police Killing Leads To North Manchester
Editor’s note: Xandria Harris, 26, turned herself in at the Bradley Police Department and was taken into custody by the Illinois State Police.
By Dan Spalding
InkFreeNews
NORTH MANCHESTER – A suspected gunman was one of four men taken into custody Friday, Dec. 31, in Rochester and North Manchester in connection with an attack in Kankakee, Ill., that left one police officer dead and another in critical condition.
Darius Sullivan, 26, was arrested at a residence at North Bond Street in North Manchester on Friday. Police also arrested Daniel Acros, 19, at the residence. Both men are from Kankakee.
Another person, Xandria Harris, is still being sought. A reward has been offered for her arrest. Tips can be sent to CrimeStoppers offices in Indiana and Illinois.
Sullivan has warrants from Illinois for first-degree murder, attempted murder and aggravated battery using a firearm in connection with the shootings of two officers in Kankakee, said ISP Sgt. Glen Fifeld during a news conference at the North Manchester Police Department held Friday afternoon.
Two officers with Bradley, Ill. Police Department were shot late Wednesday, Dec. 29, while speaking to people in a room at a Comfort Inn. The officers were taken to Kankakee area hospitals, where one died and the other was listed in critical condition.
The slain officer was 49-year-old Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic. Officer Tyler Bailey was listed in critical condition.
The search for suspects took a step forward at 3:30 a.m. Friday when Fulton County police attempted to make a traffic stop after a motorist was seen driving the wrong way on a one-way street in Rochester.
After a foot pursuit, two men were taken into custody. Police recovered a handgun and narcotics.
Bryce Baker, 20, and Joshua Adams, 26, both of Kankakee, are facing charges of possession of stolen property, resisting law enforcement and possession of a handgun without a license.
Representatives from the U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force then obtained a search warrant for the residence at 1001 N. Bond, and arrived at the house at 9:30 a.m., police said.
Both men were taken into custody without incident. Weapons and narcotics were also recovered as a result of the search warrant.
Sullivan is expected to be extradited back to Kankakee, police said.
Execution of the warrant on Friday led to the temporary lockdown on the nearby Manchester University campus.
It was unclear how the arrest in Fulton County was connected to the search warrant in North Manchester.
The arrests were the culmination of a wide amount of cooperation from law enforcement, including Indiana State Police, Illinois State Police, the U.S. Marshall’s Office, and numerous local departments.
Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office and Warsaw Police SWAT team were among the departments that provided assistance, Fifeld said.
“A multitude of agencies,” he said.
Fifeld offered condolences, thoughts and prayers to family and co-workers of both officers who were shot.
“Anytime an officer is killed in the line of duty, no matter where it happens anywhere in the country, it affects all of us,” he said.