Grundy Reporter

State Rep. Jackie Haas offered remembrances for fallen Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic.

“Last week, the Bradley Police Department lost a highly valued member of their force,” Haas said in video posted to Facebook. “Sergeant Marlene Rittmanic was shot and killed while responding to a call. She has served as a police officer for 21 years and was promoted to Sergeant in 2014. In 2020, she was recognized as the law enforcement officer of the year for her outstanding service. Sergeant Rittmanic was known for being able to meet her community members where they were at and work with them to create long-lasting, effective solutions.”

Rittmanic was shot and killed and her partner, 27-year-old Tyler Bailey, was critically injured while answering a call of dogs barking in an unattended vehicle in the parking lot of the Comfort Inn near Route 50 on the night of Dec. 29, ABC 7 reported. Once they arrived, authorities say suspects from inside one of the hotel rooms opened fire on the officers.

Police have now charged 25-year-old Daniel Sullivan and 26-year-old Xandria Harris in connection with the shooting, with Kankakee County State's Attorney Jim Rowe already moving to request that federal prosecutors pursue the death penalty against both suspects.

Authorities say once the two officers arrived at the Comfort Inn, Bailey ran the vehicle's license plate, quickly discovering that it was registered to Harris. Harris was known to frequently be accompanied by Sullivan, who was wanted on multiple outstanding warrants.

In a news release, Rowe said his office has filed state charges against both individuals for first degree murder of a police officer and attempted first degree murder of a police officer.

"Our State’s Attorney’s Office will now work to ensure these offenders face the harshest justice the law allows, no matter the jurisdiction, and to ensure that the full weight of the criminal justice system is brought to bear upon them and anyone who assisted them," he told NBCNews.com.

Sullivan was taken into custody early Friday morning in North Manchester, Ind., and Harris turned herself in to the Bradley Police Department.

In praising the officer, Haas pointed to her life as a family person and all her vast talents.

“Outside her job as a police officer, she was a published poet, an amateur photographer, a film producer, and an avid dog rescuer,” she added. “She is survived by her wife, her father, her five sisters, a brother, and many nieces and nephews. I am proud to have had such a dedicated law enforcement officer and an incredible person serve the 79th district.”

Rittmanic first became an officer in 2000 with the Iroquois County Sheriff's Department before joining the BPD, where she spent 14 years and was set to retire in five years, according to ABC 7. The last time a law enforcement officer was killed in the line of duty in Kankakee County was 1996.