Man Charged With Murder in Chicago Firefighter's Death

A 27-year-old man faces murder and arson charges in the death of Chicago firefighter Michael Altman, 32, who died Tuesday after battling a Rogers Park apartment fire set during a dispute with tenants, prosecutors say.

Sheaves Slate was charged Friday after authorities determined he ignited the blaze at 1757 W. North Shore Ave. on March 16 following an argument with two tenants around 11:30 a.m. Slate was living in the building illegally at the time and later admitted to police that he started the fire, Cook County State’s Attorney Bonnie Greenstein said in court Saturday.

Altman, assigned to Truck 47 in Edgewater, was searching the building when he fell through the floor into a basement room that was fully engulfed in flames, according to an online fundraiser for his family. He suffered third-degree burns covering 90 percent of his body. He died Tuesday. The Cook County medical examiner’s office has not yet issued a formal ruling on cause of death.

Slate could not attend his own pretrial detention hearing Saturday at Leighton Criminal Courthouse because he was hospitalized with injuries officials say he sustained when he set the fire. Judge John Hock continued the hearing after a finding of physical incapacity, rescheduling Slate’s court appearance for 11:30 a.m. Monday. Slate also faces separate retail theft cases with appearances scheduled Tuesday and Wednesday, along with a failure to appear charge tied to his first theft case.

Greenstein told the court that additional details about Slate’s background and the circumstances of the March 16 fire will be revealed at next week’s hearing on the murder and arson case.

Dozens of firefighters filled the Leighton Criminal Courthouse courtroom Saturday to honor Altman. Patrick Cleary, president of Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2, confirmed that Altman’s colleagues would return for Monday’s hearing. “As usual, we support our brothers and sisters,” Cleary said. “Unfortunately we’ve had a lot of tragedies over the past couple of years, and so we have to support families. That’s what we’re all about.”

The weight of Altman’s loss extends far beyond the fire station. He was the fourth generation in his family to serve the Chicago Fire Department. His grandfather, Edward P. Altman, served as Fire Department commissioner from 1996 to 1999 under then-Mayor Richard M. Daley. Michael Altman was married with a young son and another baby on the way.

Fire Department Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt addressed the loss in a statement. “This has been an incredibly difficult week for the family of Firefighter/EMT Michael Altman and our family here at the Chicago Fire Department,” she said.

The fire at the North Shore Avenue building was struck out around 1:15 p.m. on March 16, according to the Fire Department.

Rogers Park has long been one of Chicago’s most densely populated and historically significant neighborhoods, home to a mix of longtime renters, new arrivals, and community institutions. Fires in multi-unit residential buildings there carry heightened stakes, particularly when structural conditions are unknown to crews entering the scene. Firefighters working those calls face floors weakened by neglect, basements cut off from natural light, and layouts that can shift without warning.

Altman’s death has rattled the department and the broader city. Fundraising efforts for his family have drawn significant community support in the days since he died. Union members have shown up in force throughout the legal proceedings, making clear they intend to remain present as the case moves forward.

Slate’s next court date is Monday morning. The hearing is expected to provide more context about the fire and the circumstances that led to it. For now, the family of a fourth-generation firefighter is grieving a loss that will reach across generations. And the department that Michael Altman gave his life serving continues to show up, in courtrooms and on fire lines, the same way it always has.