Man Accused of Arson Where Chicago Firefighter Died Remains in Jail

The man accused of starting a fire that led to a Chicago firefighter’s death told residents at the Rogers Park apartment building they were “going to pay” after they wouldn’t let him speak to his former roommate, Cook County prosecutors alleged Monday.

Early the next morning, on March 16, Sheaves Slate allegedly sneaked into the building’s basement — where he had repeatedly squatted — and set a mattress on fire. Depressed and suicidal, he watched as it went up in flames, placed a door in front of the room to obscure the smoke and fled without calling 911, said Assistant State’s Attorney Mike Pekara.

Firefighter Michael Altman, 32, suffered fatal injuries responding to the blaze. About 90% of his body was burned after he fell through the floor into the basement, Pekara said. 

Slate, 27, of Avondale, was ordered detained Monday, pending his trial. Slate, who placed his face in his hands during the hearing, faces first-degree murder, aggravated arson and residential arson charges. 

A couple dozen firefighters and paramedics filled the courtroom’s seats to show their support for Altman, a “dedicated” firefighter who left behind a pregnant wife and toddler.  

“That fire could have caught other buildings in a densely populated neighborhood, … could have endangered the lives of any of those people and any and all first responders, firefighters and police officers who regularly and selflessly run into these buildings to save people,” said Cook County Judge Luciano Panici Jr. at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.

“The danger wasn’t abstract, it manifested itself. That victim lost his life as a result of it,” Panici said when ordering Slate detained, adding that he’s a clear danger to the community.

Slate repeatedly came to the three-story building in the 1700 block of North Shore Avenue in the months leading up to the fire, even though he was no longer a tenant, Pekara said. Residents reported him for trespassing in the basement to the property manager just two weeks before the fire. 

Slate was captured on Ring video walking toward his former apartment on the third floor, which he hadn’t lived in for about nine months, on March 15 around 10:30 p.m. He demanded to speak to his former roommate, and when the current tenants denied his request, he got increasingly angry, Pekara said. 

One of the tenants called the police because of how loud Slate was screaming, but then called back and canceled the request, believing Slate had left the building. 

But Ring camera footage showed Slate walking up and down the stairs, and in the early morning hours of March 16, multiple witnesses saw him sleeping in front of his former apartment, Pekara said.

A current tenant made him leave around 4 a.m., but he returned quickly. This time, he entered through a broken basement window and sat inside a boiler room for hours, Pekara said. He used a hand-held lighter to set the upper corner of a mattress, which was leaned up against a wall, on fire, Pekara said. 

Unable to stop the fire, Slate placed a door in front of the room to hide the flames and smoke. He then left without alerting anyone of the blaze, Pekara said. 

Slate was captured on surveillance footage walking into an alley, boarding a bus on Clark Street and boarding the CTA Red Line at the Howard station. He traveled to Harold Washington Library Center downtown, where he dyed his hair from orange to brown and changed his clothes, Pekara said. 

Meanwhile, Altman arrived at the apartment building around 11:30 a.m. to battle the blaze. Firefighters in the basement were forced to move the door that Slate had used to conceal the fire, which caused the basement ceiling to collapse, Pekara said.

Altman, who was on the first floor, fell through the floor and was engulfed in flames. He was pronounced dead last Tuesday after suffering serious injuries. 

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives determined the fire was started by human means in the boiler room, Pekara said. 

Slate was arrested Wednesday afternoon at a hospital in the Uptown neighborhood. Pekara said Slate had checked himself into the hospital for suicidal ideations. 

In a police interview, Slate allegedly admitted that he entered the basement window and that he set the mattress on fire because he “wanted to die,” Pekara said. He said he saw smoke on his way out. 

He also admitted to setting fire to the tents he lived in, including two last year, at Osterman Beach and Buena Park, Pekara said. 

Slate has a short history of arrests, including earlier this year for alleged possession of methamphetamine and retail theft, Pekara said. He didn’t appear for his first court date in this case and a warrant was outstanding when he was arrested for the fire. 

Slate’s public defender said Slate has lived in Chicago for a decade, and that he’s struggled with depression and self-harm since he was a child. He said Slate doesn’t have a criminal history prior to a couple of years ago, so recent legal issues are a “new development” in his illness. 

The public defender asked if the hearing could be delayed so they could locate a treatment facility for Slate outside of Cook County Jail. Panici said it didn’t seem appropriate to “kick the can down the road,” and that Slate has a “demonstrated inability to follow court orders.” 

After Monday’s hearing, 45th Ward Ald. Jim Gardiner said the judge made the right decision to detain Slate, and that he believes the evidence was “overwhelming.” He said it’s also “good for the family.” 

“(Slate) had a history of committing crimes and setting fire to places that he was residing at, and it was escalating,” Gardiner said. 

Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke said in a statement Monday that Altman’s death is a “profound loss” for the Chicago Fire Department and his loved ones. 

“We will pursue this case with the utmost seriousness and will seek justice in court on behalf of Michael, his family, and the people of Cook County,” she said. 

Altman was a fourth-generation Chicago firefighter who had been at the department for less than two years. He was assigned to Truck 47 in the Edgewater neighborhood, according to Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt.  

A family fundraiser said he was “a dedicated firefighter” as well as a husband and father. Pat Cleary, president of the Chicago Fire Fighters Union, said Saturday that Altman left behind a pregnant wife and a 2-year-old child.

Altman’s visitation and funeral services are scheduled for Thursday and Friday at the St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel in the Ashburn neighborhood.

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