Slain Cop's Widow Thanks Chicago For Restoring Faith In Humanity

CHICAGO, IL — In an open letter to the City of Chicago, the widow of Chicago police Cmdr. Paul Bauer thanked those who have supported her and her family after her husband was gunned down during a foot chase last week. Erin Bauer wrote that she would have cried "[i]f I wasn't out of tears" when she witnessed the outpouring from mourners along her husband's funeral procession Saturday.

"One man almost stole my faith in humanity, but the City of Chicago and the rest of the nation restored it and I want to thank you for that," she wrote in the letter, which was released Tuesday, a week after the fatal shooting.

Erin Bauer said that she and her 13-year-old daughter, Grace, have been humbled by those who have been paying their respects since the tragic incident. She added that the displays also would have humbled Paul Bauer, who she said never wanted the spotlight.

"I saw each and every one of you from the darkened window of my car," Erin Bauer wrote. "The good people in this world far outnumber the bad."

The open letter came the same day that Chicago police Supt. Eddie Johnson thanked Chicagoans for the gestures of goodwill toward the department and Cmdr. Bauer's fellow officers. Over the weekend, meals, cards and flowers were dropped off at police headquarters and stations at districts around the city.

READ: Erin Bauer's complete open thank you letter to the City of Chicago:

"Despite some of the negative spotlight that can be sometimes be passed along to the Chicago Police Department, countless Chicagoans have stopped police officers to say thank you and to pass along their condolences," Johnson said at Tuesday's news conference at Bar Cargo, 605 N. Wells St. Stefani Restaurant Group, which owns Bar Cargo and other eateries, donated enough food to the police department to feed more than 500 officers this past week, the superintendent added.

Numerous other Chicago businesses also provided food to district stations around the city, Johnson said. Aurelio's dropped off 22 pizzas to police headquarters Feb. 14, the day first-degree murder charges were filed against Shomari Legghette, the man accused of fatally shooting Bauer at the Thompson Center, he added.

Bauer, 53, was shot multiple times Feb. 13, while trying to help police tactical officers apprehend Legghette, 44, who they tried to question after 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, police said. He was ordered held without bail Feb. 15.

In the 18th District — also known as the Near North District, which Bauer headed up — remembrances of the 31-year veteran have been constant, Johnson said. A small memorial has been set up outside the station, and community members have been stopping in to tell officers how the commander had touched their lives, he said.

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

Cmdr. Paul 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

• Bauer's Wake Draws Thousands Of Mourners (VIDEO)
• Thousands Line Streets To Give Bauer Incredible Sendoff (VIDEO)

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)
• Reilly's Daughter Donating Food Sales To Fund For Bauer's Family
• Support Continues For Bauer's Family; Find Out How To Help

Even people outside Chicago have been offering their support to the city's police force. A father and son from Washington State stopped at the 18th District memorial to pay their respects, and members of law enforcement agencies from around Illinois and the country attended Bauer's funeral, Johnson said.

"All those anecdotes say something powerful to me and they should something similar to all of you all: that the majority of people in this city and in the surrounding areas support CPD's efforts to make our streets safer and are thankful to the men and women like Cmdr. Bauer who run into danger for the well being of others," he said.

Donations for the Bauer family can still be made through the Paul M. Bauer Memorial Fund. Here's how:

In Person: Drop off checks — made payable to the fund — at any of the four locations of the Chicago Patrolmen's Federal Credit Union. Branches include:

• Credit Union Headquarters, 1407 W. Washington Blvd.
• South Branch, 2766 W. 111th St.
• North Branch, 5310 N. Harlem Ave.
• Midway Branch, 6124 W. 63rd St.

Mail: Checks can be sent to Chicago Patrolmen's Federal Credit Union, Attn: Paul Bauer Memorial Fund, 1407 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, IL, 60607.
Details about donations can be found at the credit union's website or by calling at 312-726-8814.
Donations can also be made online in Bauer's memory to the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation. Go to the group's website for more information.

Chicago police Supt. Eddie Bauer thanks Chicagoans for their support following the fatal shooting of Cmdr. Paul Bauer (Image via screen shot from the Chicago Police Department)