Christopher John Monfort, suspected in the murder of Seattle police Officer Tim Brenton and the shooting of Officer Britt Sweeney, was detained without a set bail yesterday and remains in critical condition.

During a hearing at about 4 p.m. yesterday, King County Superior Court Judge Sharon Armstrong found probable cause to detain Monfort, identified by The Seattle Times as a UW alumnus, for the crimes of aggravated first-degree murder and attempted murder in the first degree.

“We’re going to ask the court for a finding of probable cause to detain Mr. Monfort,” said Ian Goodhew, deputy chief of staff for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, prior to the hearing. “That gives us up to 72 hours to hold him.”

Yesterday afternoon, Claire Hegarty, assistant vice pesident for media relations at the UW Medical Center, confirmed that Monfort remained in serious condition at the intensive care unit of Harborview Medical Center.

Monfort is suspected of shooting and killing Brenton on Oct. 31 and was shot by police last Friday. The Seattle Police Department (SPD) released a statement yesterday confirming that officers followed a tip about a possible suspect vehicle that led them to Monfort’s residence. A male suspect emerged as detectives surveyed the vehicle, he pointed a handgun at the detectives and fled when the weapon failed to fire.

The suspect was chased to a stairwell, where he pointed the gun at detectives a second time, at which point the detectives shot him in self defense.

During the investigation, DNA evidence matching to Monfort was found at the scene of Brenton’s shooting and an arson incident at a city maintenance facility in which a police car was engulfed in flames. A .223-caliber rifle from Monfort’s apartment was identified with a ballistics test as the weapon used to kill Brenton, and the SPD said that bomb-making materials indicating that he intended to inflict more damage with another attack were also found.

Additionally, evidence from Monfort’s Datsun 210 indicates that the vehicle was shot by Sweeney, who returned fire during the incident.

The deadline for the prosecuting attorney’s office to file charges is Nov. 13, and a filing decision is expected to be made this Thursday. Monfort has not been booked into King County Jail due to his medical condition. Bail was not set because the incident could potentially be a capital case.

Reach reporter Lexie Krell at news@dailyuw.com.