Clerk robbed by suspect in fatal officer shooting says it’s a miracle she survived

The store clerk at the center of the robbery that sparked the crime spree leading to the fatal shooting of a Chicago police officer broke her silence, describing the terrifying moments she encountered the robbers.

After being brutally pistol whipped and robbed, the manager at Family Dollar in Albany Park told Telemundo Chicago it is a miracle she’s alive.

Police said the initial crime occurred when Alphanso Talley, who allegedly shot and killed Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew in the following hours, and his accomplice allegedly stole cash and robbed the clerk, leaving her with broken bones in her face.

“He points the gun at me and says, ‘Give me the keys,'” she recalled, translated from Spanish.

The clerk told Telemundo Chicago’s Jorge DeSantiago Talley and the second robber threatened to kill her over $100. Surveillance video from a nearby restaurant captured the two suspects fleeing on scooters.

Talley’s accomplice, who was identified as 18-year-old Jeron Tate, was later arrested and charged with kidnapping and robbery. Police said he wasn’t involved in the fatal shooting.

The owner of Kabobi – Persian and Mediterranean Grill – said Bartholomew was a familiar face from the nearby 17th Police District.

“He was a loyal customer at least twice a week, he used to come here,” Joseph Toulabi said. “It’s sad when it happens to anybody, especially somebody that you know.

Talley is facing murder charges, accused of concealing a gun then shooting Bartholomew and his partner inside Endeavor Swedish Hospital. Talley was taken to the hospital after claiming he had swallowed drugs.

Bartholomew’s partner was critically wounded and remains hospitalized.

“It’s very heartbreaking, nobody should have to go through that, so I send them my love,” Toulabi said.

Amid the grief, the clerk shared a message of faith and solidarity.

“I pray to God for the police officer… because I know his family is suffering immense pain,” she stated, translated from Spanish.