Judge denies bid to toss arrest, evidence in CPD Cmdr. Paul Bauer murder case

A Cook County judge Friday denied a pre-trial bid to toss out the arrest and key evidence against the alleged gunman charged with murdering Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer.

The officers who took Shomari Legghette into custody after Legghette allegedly shot Bauer six times in a stairwell outside the Thompson Center in 2018 had ample probable cause to arrest Legghette, Judge Erica Reddick ruled.

Legghette had encountered Bauer as Legghette fled from other officers who had spotted him urinating on a wall on Lower Wacker Drive, according to police.

Reddick’s ruling comes a day after officers who arrested Legghette testified at a pre-trial hearing.

Legghette was arrested by officers who had joined the chase in response to a call for help that came seconds before gunshots were heard where Legghette was spotted emerging from a downtown stairwell. Bauer’s body was on a landing a few steps away.

Reddick grudgingly agreed Friday to entertain a motion by Legghette’s attorney to delay the trial, which was scheduled to begin Jan. 27. Reddick scolded defense attorney Scott Kamin, who said he needed extra time to review more than 1,000 pages of records in the case and handle another trial set for the same week. But Reddick granted Kamin’s request and now Legghette’s trial is tentatively set for late February.