Memorial set for slain CPD Cmdr. Paul Bauer on 1-year anniversary of his death

A memorial service for slain Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer is scheduled for Wednesday on the first anniversary of his murder.

Chicago Police Department chaplains will lead the noon service at the Thompson Center in the Loop, where Bauer was shot and killed on Feb. 13, 2018. The department’s bagpipers and Mounted Unit, which Bauer previously commanded, will also attend.

At the time of his death, Bauer, a 53-year-old husband and father, was commander of the CPD’s Near North District, which covers River North and most of Lincoln Park.

About 2 p.m. on Feb. 13, 2018, Bauer was headed to City Hall to meet with local aldermen to discuss crime-fighting strategies in his district when a call came over his radio that a man had fled from officers nearby.

The man ran when the officers tried to do a “street stop” to interview him. He was wearing a long black coat with a fur collar.

Bauer saw the man and ran after him. He pursued the man down a Thompson Center staircase, they struggled and Bauer was shot six times. He was pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital a short time later.

Shomari Legghette, 45, was charged with first-degree murder, armed violence, and possession of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance. Authorities said Legghette, a four-time convicted felon, was wearing body armor when he encountered Bauer.

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Police recovered Legghette’s loaded 9mm handgun, which was equipped with an extended clip of ammunition, according to prosecutors.

Police also recovered small amounts of cocaine, heroin and marijuana from Legghette.

Bauer, who lived in Bridgeport with his wife and 13-year-old daughter, was the first Chicago police officer shot to death on or off duty since the 2011 slaying of Officer Clifton Lewis.

Bauer would be the first of four Chicago police officers killed in the line of duty in 2018.