Federal charges filed over gun used in fatal shooting of Chicago officer

Federal prosecutors on Monday charged a woman who allegedly lied in 2024 while purchasing the 10mm Glock pistol that would eventually be used to kill Chicago police officer John Bartholomew and wound a second officer.

Olivia Burgos faces one count of making a false statement while purchasing a firearm, as outlined in a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Hammond, Indiana. Her attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.

Bartholomew, 38, was shot alongside the second officer who was gravely wounded Saturday at Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital. Alphanso Talley, 26, has been charged in the shooting.

The feds say Burgos purchased the gun used in the incident on May 27, 2024, from Range USA in Merrillville, Indiana. She claimed on a form to be the actual purchaser and denied being addicted to illegal drugs at the time, according to the complaint.

She also allegedly claimed to be living in La Porte, Indiana, at the time.

But when interviewed by law enforcement on Saturday, Burgos allegedly said she'd been addicted to fentanyl since April 23, 2024, and had used the drug daily ever since. She also acknowledged using fentanyl the day she bought the gun, the feds say.

In her interview with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Burgos allegedly said she bought the gun for her boyfriend at the time. She said she believed him to be a convicted felon, and she said he gave her money for the gun, according to the complaint.

Finally, Burgos allegedly told the ATF that she actually lived in Highland, Indiana, at the time of the purchase.