Nearly five months after Chicago police officer Nelson Crespo was critically wounded in a shooting that took the life of his partner John Bartholomew, he made his first public appearance at a fundraiser.
On April 25, Crespo and Bartholomew were with 26-year-old Alphanso Talley while he prepared for a CT scan at Swedish Hospital when Talley reached for a gun underneath a blanket after his handcuffs were taken off and shot the officers.
Bartholomew was killed in the shooting. Crespo has been paralyzed from the shoulders down and has spent months recovering.
Crespo was greeted by family, friends, and Chicago first responders during a fundraiser Friday in his honor at Old Crow Smokehouse in Wrigleyville.
Mario Herrera, left, consoles, his longtime childhood friend Chicago Police Officer Nelson Crespo while he is greeted by family, friends and fellow Chicago Police Department officers, Chicago Firefighters, and Paramedics during a fundraiser in his honor on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at Old Crow Smokehouse in Wrigleyville. Crespo is making his first public appearance since being shot in April inside Swedish Hospital, where his partner, Officer John Bartholomew, was killed. Crespo has been recovering at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and is paralyzed from the shoulders down. The fundraiser was organized to support Crespo and his recovery.
Octavio Jones/For the Sun-Times
Chicago Police Officer Nelson Crespo is greeted by family, friends, and fellow Chicago Police Department officers during a fundraiser in his honor on Friday at Old Crow Smokehouse in Wrigleyville. Crespo is making his first public appearance since being shot in April inside Swedish Hospital.
Octavio Jones/For the Chicago Sun-Times