Slain Chicago Cop: No Bail For Felon Accused In Shooting

CHICAGO, IL — A judge ordered the career criminal accused of gunning down Chicago police Cmdr. Paul Bauer held without bail Thursday during a hearing, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Shomari Legghette, 44, was charged with first-degree murder of a peace officer and armed violence in the fatal shooting, as well as unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and possession of a controlled substance.

Bauer, 53, was shot multiple times Tuesday, Feb. 13, while trying to help police tactical officers apprehend Legghette, who they wanted to question while seeing him act suspiciously during a narcotics sweep near the Thompson Center, according to police. Legghette, a four-time felon, was wearing body armor at the time of the shooting, and officers recovered a 9mm semiautomatic weapon with a 30-round extended clip, as well as cocaine, heroin and marijuana, police said.

Bauer had been on duty at the center for a training session and was in full uniform when he joined the foot pursuit after hearing a radio alert about the incident. The commander spotted Legghette near the Thompson Center and caught up with him at a stairwell outside the building, according to the bond proffer.

RELATED: Chicago Police Commander Gunned Down At Thompson Center (VIDEO)

Legghette fell down the stairs, and Bauer either followed or fell himself, the proffer stated. At the bottom, the two men struggled, Legghette is accused of firing seven shots, hitting Bauer six separate times in the head, neck, chest, back and wrist.

Bauer did not fire any shots and was unable to unholster his gun, according to police. No other officers fired their weapons during the incident, police said.

An autopsy determined that Bauer died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. His death has been ruled a homicide.

A standing room-only crowd filled the courtroom for Legghette's hearing Thursday with more than 60 officers from the Chicago Police Department on hand, including Supt. Eddie Johnson, CBS 2 Chicago reports. Legghette was silent during the proceedings, which were scheduled apart from the normal criminal docket in order to accommodate the expected crowd and attention, the report added.

Legghette has a long criminal history, with several felony convictions. Before Tuesday's shooting, he was last arrested by Chicago police in 2014, the Sun-Times reports. At that time, Legghette was convicted of drug possession and sentenced to two years in prison, the report added.

More Patch Coverage:

• Cmdr. Paul Bauer: Learn How Slain Cop Spent 31-Year CPD Career
• 'Chicago PD' Filming Near Slain Cop's Murder Scene Angers Some
• Wake, Funeral Set For Cmdr. Paul Bauer
• Blue Ribbons, Flags Honor Bauer

He was sentenced to 16 years in prison for armed robbery in 1998, and he received 30 days of community service for a battery conviction in 2011, the report stated. In 2007, Legghette was convicted of possession of a defaced firearm and sentenced to three years in prison, the report added. According to the Sun-Times, he also was charged with possessing body armor as a felon in that incident, but he was not convicted on that charge.

"I think it's crystal clear to anyone that some people don't deserve to walk the streets of Chicago," Johnson said of Legghette during a Wednesday press conference announcing the charges.

More via the Chicago Sun-Times

Shomari Legghette, 44 (Photo via Chicago Police Department)