Chicago police commander shot six times after struggle
CHICAGO — Chicago police Cmdr. Paul Bauer was shot six times in the head, neck, torso, back and wrist, Cook County prosecutors alleged Thursday as Shomari Legghette, his hands and feet shackled, made his first appearance on murder and other charges in a courtroom packed with dozens of officers.
Prosecutors revealed that three civilian witnesses identified Legghette in a police lineup as the man who struggled with Bauer at the top of a stairwell outside the Thompson Center in the Loop. Surveillance video also captured the struggle at the top of the stairs, they said.
Legghette’s right hand and coat tested positive for the presence of gunshot residue, evidence he fired a gun, prosecutors said.
Judge Mary Marubio ordered that Legghette, a four-time felon, be ordered held without bail, saying he “poses a real and present threat to the physical safety of the community.”
Assistant State’s Attorney Guy Lisuzzo gave this account of what happened shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday outside the Thompson Center:
Bauer chased down and attempted to detain Legghette at the top of the stairwell. Legghette then stumbled down the stairs, and Bauer either fell or followed him down the stairs.
The struggle continued there before Legghette drew his 9 mm handgun and fired seven shots, fatally wounding Bauer, Lisuzzo said.
Bauer’s service weapon was still holstered, and his police radio and handcuffs were found next to his body, he said.
Within seconds, Legghette was arrested by responding officers, who found a loaded 9 mm handgun with an extended clip in his coat pocket, Lisuzzo said. Officers also recovered a “sharp object” on his person as well as heroin, marijuana and cocaine, he said. Legghette was wearing a bulletproof vest.
Legghette, 44, stood stoic Thursday as Marubio read the litany of charges against him: first-degree murder, armed violence, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, and possession of a controlled substance.
Superintendent Eddie Johnson listened from a second-row courtroom bench.
Legghette has a criminal history stretching back more than two decades, court records show. He picked up new charges while out on bond, on parole and serving probation, making him the kind of repeat offender whom Bauer recently urged authorities to keep off the street.
Authorities have described a hectic scene that ended with the fatal confrontation in a freezing outdoor stairwell, just outside the Thompson Center and a stone’s throw from City Hall.
The commotion began when officers working a drug mission on Lower Wacker Drive tried to approach Legghette for an interview, Area Central Cmdr. Brendan Deenihan told reporters Wednesday. As the officers got out of their car, Legghette took off, Deenihan said, running from Lower Wacker Drive to street level as an officer yelled: “I just want to talk to you.”
Legghette ran to the corner of Lake and Clark streets, where Bauer’s car was parked, Deenihan said. Bauer, who had been listening in on his police radio, gave chase — a pursuit caught on video from a nearby taxicab, Video then captured Bauer and Legghette struggling at the top of a stairwell near the Thompson Center.