Slain Chicago Cop: Wake Draws Thousands Of Mourners (VIDEO)

CHICAGO, IL — Thousands of mourners — including city and community leaders, the Chicago Police Department's rank and file, and people who traveled from around the country and even Canada — wrapped around the block of a Bridgeport neighborhood church Friday to pay their respects to Cmdr. Paul Bauer, the 31-year veteran officer who was shot and killed earlier this week. Nearby homes displayed photos of Bauer, who lived in the neighborhood with his wife and daughter, while blue ribbons adorned trees and strings of blue lights covered windows as a memorial to the fallen officer.

Bauer, 53, was shot multiple times Tuesday, Feb. 13, at the Thompson Center while trying to help tactical officers apprehend Shomari Legghette, a 44-year-old career criminal who fled officers looking to question him, according to authorities. Legghette, who was wearing body armor at the time of the shooting, faces first-degree murder and other charges and was ordered held without bail Thursday.

Police Supt. Eddie Johnson and Mayor Rahm Emanuel were among the local and state dignitaries to attend the wake at Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church where Bauer worshipped. Other officials included Gov. Bruce Rauner and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, as well as former Mayor Richard M. Daley and former Chicago police Supt. Garry McCarthy.

"It's an unbelieveable scene, very somber" Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30th Ward) said of the wake. Chairman of the City Council's public safety committee, Reboyras called Bauer "well-liked" and said he was "professional to the very last."

Bauer's Chicago flag-draped casket was brought to the church at around 12:30 p.m. Friday, and eight pallbearers carried it inside from the hearse, according to the Chicago Tribune. The police officers who had gathered then saluted as the casket passed by.

More Patch Coverage

The Shooting

• Chicago Police Commander Gunned Down At Thompson Center (VIDEO)
• 4-Time Felon Charged With Murder (VIDEO)
• No Bail For Career Criminal Accused In Bauer's Fatal Shooting

Bauer's Career

• Cmdr. Paul Bauer: Learn How Slain Cop Spent 31-Year CPD Career
• Fallen Commander Worked In District 22 In Mid-1990s

The Funeral

• Wake, Funeral Set For Cmdr. Paul Bauer
• Community Will Line 111th St. For Fallent Cop's Funeral Procession

The Aftermath

• Blue Ribbons And Flags Honor Bauer
• 'Chicago PD' Filming Near Slain Cop's Murder Scene Angers Some
• Cook County Jail Inmates Clap For Accused Killer (VIDEO)

Throughout the clear, late afternoon and into the chilly evening, many of those who stood in the line that stretched from the church's doors on 37th Street, down Lowe Avenue, across 38th Street and up Union Avenue were Bauer's fellow officers. Some wore buttons of the fallen commander on the lapels of their dress uniforms alongside their black-banded badges. Others arrived in plainclothes, greeting one another with hugs and handshakes.

Officers on horseback — Bauer headed up the Chicago Police Department mounted division before becoming commander of the Near North District — stood prominently beneath an unfurled American flag that hung from a Chicago Fire Department ladder truck over the intersection of Union and 37th. They served not only to honor the fallen officer's time with the unit but also as another solemn reminder of what the force has lost over the years. Each of the horses is named after a CPD officer who was killed in the line of the duty.

Although Friday's wake was open to the public, Bauer's funeral only will be for family, friends and law enforcement and other officials. The service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, at the church. Interment for Bauer will be at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, 6001 W. 111th St., in Alsip.

A procession will follow the funeral, traveling through Bridgeport, Beverly, Morgan Park and Mount Greenwood before reaching the cemetery. Residents are asked to "turn the route blue" by wearing clothes and displaying ribbons in that color during the procession. Since the shooting, various downtown buildings also have been illuminated blue in honor of Bauer.

Mourners attend the wake of Chicago police Cmdr. Paul Bauer on Friday, Feb. 16, at the Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church in the Bridgeport neighborhood. (Photo by Joe Vince | Patch)