Bradley police warn of fake fundraisers for fallen officer Sgt Marlene Rittmanic

ByABC7 Chicago Digital Team WLS logo
Monday, January 3, 2022
Bradley police warn of fraudulent fundraisers
The Bradley Police Department is warning people of fake fundraisers for fallen officer.

BRADLEY, Ill. (WLS) -- The Bradley Police Department is warning people of fake fundraisers claiming to be for fallen Sergeant Marlene Rittmanic.

Sgt. Rittmanic, 49, was killed and her partner Officer Tyler Bailey, 27, was critically wounded in a motel shooting last week.

The department said there are no fundraising pages from her family.

WATCH | Community honors Bradley police sergeant killed in line of duty

Hundreds of people lined up in silence to honor Rittmanic during a procession to a Bourbonnais funeral home Thursday afternoon.

They say no account will be created on GoFundMe and if you see one, they recommend reporting it as fraudulent.

However, there is one fundraiser page for Officer Bailey.

Sgt. Rittmanic and her partner responded to a call Wednesday night of dogs barking in an unattended car in the parking lot at the Comfort Inn off of Route 50, the Kankakee County Sheriff's Office said. They went to the hotel room where the car's owner was staying when police say the people inside the room began attacking the two officers, shooting them.

Two suspects were eventually taken into custody after going on the run. Darius D. Sullivan was arrested in North Manchester, Indiana Friday morning, authorities said. Later that day, Xandria Harris turned herself in to Bradley police.

WATCH | Bradley police officer shooting suspect arrested in Indiana

Indiana police provide an update on the arrest of a suspect in the shooting that killed a Bradley police officer and wounded another.

Rittmanic first became an officer in 2000 with the Iroquois County Sheriff's Department. She had been with the Bradley Police Department for 14 years, and her niece said she was just five years away from retirement. She leaves behind her wife, Lynette Stua.