Charged man accused of killing firefighter hospitalized
A 27-year-old man charged with murder regarding firefighter Michael Altman's death is hospitalized and absent from court due to injuries sustained when setting fire to his own apartment building in Rogers Park after an argument; prosecutors state he was squatting there before igniting it, causing a blaze that killed the Chicago Fire Department officer.
Key Points
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1Sheaves Slate (age 27) is charged with murder and arson in the death of Chicago firefighter Michael Altman.
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2Slate did not appear at his pretrial detention hearing on Saturday because he was hospitalized after setting fire to a building where he had been squatting following an argument with tenants.
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3Dozens of firefighters, including colleagues clad in full uniforms or T-shirts lined the courtroom for Slate's appearance.
Developments
Chicago firefighter Michael Altman died after falling through a collapsed floor during an apartment fire set by Sheaves Slate. Although the defendant was hospitalized on Saturday when charged with murder-related offenses involving arson, his detention hearing has been postponed to Monday for release decisions and further proceedings regarding two pending retail theft cases scheduled separately in court Tuesday.
Authorities charged 27-year-old Sheaves Slate with two counts of murder and arson after he set fire to an apartment building while squatting there. The suspect was hospitalized on Monday when his detention hearing continued from Saturday due to the severity of injuries sustained during a prior incident involving tenants in that same complex, which resulted in firefighter Michael Altman's death following critical burns caused by falling through burning floors.