Man charged with murder of Chicago firefighter who died battling arson fire in Rogers Park

Prosecutors have charged a Rogers Park resident with murder and aggravated arson following a fire that resulted in the death of Chicago Fire Department Firefighter and EMT Michael Altman. This individual marks the fourth person charged this year in Chicago for killing or attempting to kill while on felony pretrial release.

Sheaves Slate, 27, is set to appear for a detention hearing at the Cook County courthouse located at 26th and California on Saturday afternoon. Further information regarding the charges against him is anticipated during this session.

Earlier this week, a “seeking to locate” bulletin was issued within the Chicago Police Department for Slate. Investigators expressed interest in questioning him regarding the fire that occurred on Monday at 1757 West North Shore Avenue.

Michael Altman sustained severe injuries after a fall from the first floor to the basement of a building, where he ended up in a room that was completely engulfed in flames. He succumbed to his injuries later. Altman was a part of a long-standing family tradition of Chicago firefighters.

According to Chicago Police Department and court records, Slate has been arrested four times in the Chicago area since July. He remains on probation and has an outstanding failure-to-appear warrant after missing a court hearing for a felony charge on January 16.

His legal issues began in July with an arrest for felony methamphetamine possession and misdemeanor retail theft on the North Side. He failed to attend court hearings in August and September related to these charges.

In late September, following another arrest for felony retail theft on the North Side, prosecutors dismissed the earlier methamphetamine charges. The July retail theft charges were also dropped in October, even though Slate did not attend that hearing.

Slate pleaded guilty to the September retail theft charge on October 30 after missing another court date. He received a sentence of one year of probation.

While serving his probation, Slate faced arrest again in January for felony retail theft and felony methamphetamine possession. Released to await trial, he failed to appear in court five days later, and an active arrest warrant has been in place since January 16.

The “not horrible” series

This article is part of a series covering individuals accused of violent acts while on pretrial release for felony charges. CWBChicago initiated this series in November 2019 after then-Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans stated publicly, “We haven’t had any horrible incidents occur” under the court’s bond reform initiative.

The real number of violent incidents committed by individuals awaiting trial for felony charges is likely much higher than reported here. Since 2017, Chicago Police Department data indicates charges have been brought in less than 5% of non-fatal shootings and 33% of murders. You can find all the stories from the “not horrible” series here.

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