Paul Bauer (Chicago Police Commander)
Paul Bauer (Chicago Police Commander)
Lt. Paul Bauer, right and officer Jason Ayala discuss the sudden death of horse Mikey C., partner of mounted officer Paul Casasanto, at the Chicago Police Mounted Patrol Stable on 71st & South Shore Drive, Tuesday, August 30, 2011.
Paul Bauer (1964 - February 13, 2018) was a married father as well as a District Commander with the Chicago Police Department.
Personal Life
Paul Bauer was married and had a 13-year-old daughter named Grace Bauer.
Career
Lt. Paul Bauer presents several gifts to Kira Mammoser, 11, including a pink pony on behalf of the Police Mounted Unit in this May 2013 photo.
At the time of his death, Paul Bauer was the Chicago Police Department Commander of the 18th District known also known as the Near North District. He first joined the department in 1986 and has worked all over Chicago.
Paul Bauer was previously the commander of the department’s mounted patrol unit.
He was in charge of the mounted unit in 2013 when the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup. Officers on 30 horses kept control of the streets in Wrigleyville after people broke down police barricades.
Bauer was involved with the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, which assists the families of fallen and injured officers.
He helped with the Horses of Honor project, in which 6-foot-tall, 6-foot-long horse statues were displayed downtown.
Each horse, decorated by local artists, carried a minimum donation of $2,500 for the foundation.
All but one of the horses was named after officers who died.
Death
On Tuesday, February 13, 2018 Commander Paul Bauer was shot to death at the James R. Thompson Center after chasing a man fleeing from tactical officers who tried to stop him, police officials said. Bauer confronted the man, who opened fire as the two struggled, killing Paul Bauer, according to police officials and other sources. Bauer had been in the area after attending “active shooter” training, which prepares officers for mass shootings. He also had a meeting with aldermen scheduled for later in the day.
Officers apprehended a suspect who multiple sources identified as a 44-year-old four-time felon and former prison inmate with an arrest record dating to at least 1994. The 44-year-old suspect’s felony record goes back to 1998, when he was charged with armed robbery. He was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison. In 2007, the man was charged with being a felon in possession of body armor, possession of a defaced firearm and possession of heroin. He got three years in prison on the gun charge, records show. In 2011, he was charged with resisting an officer and battery. He was convicted of battery and given 30 days of community service, records show. Finally, the suspect was convicted of drug possession in 2014 and received a two-year prison term.
Commander Paul Bauer was shot several times a little before 2 p.m., according to police Superintendent Eddie Johnson.
He said a suspect was taken into custody and a gun recovered.
A statement released by the mayor’s office quoted Rahm Emanuel as saying that the “hearts of every Chicagoan are heavy as we mourn the loss” of a popular district commander who “stood for the highest ideals” of a Chicago Police Department sworn to serve and protect the people of Chicago.
“His death is a tragic reminder of the dangerous duty the men and women of our police department accept to ensure the safety of us all,” the mayor was quoted as saying.
At City Hall, aldermen remembered a dedicated, outstanding officer.
Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) got word about the fatal shooting while he and Ald.
Brendan Reilly (42nd) were in a City Hall conference room waiting to meet with Bauer to discuss expanding cooperation between the 18th District and
Northwestern University police.
That followed a recent shooting that shattered the windows at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and an increase in street crime in Streeterville.
“He was the best police commander in the 18th District during the 20 years I lived there.
He loved the job.
He had a passion for the job.
He was a good man.
We lost one of the best today.
It’s devastating.
I don’t have words,” said Hopkins, who rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital when he heard the news.
“If it turns out that he responded to something that he just happened to observe while he was on his way to a meeting in City Hall, that would be very much like him.
He would not be a guy to look the other way when someone needed help.”
Every time there was a carjacking or another high-profile crime that commanded public attention, Bauer understood that his job was not only to apprehend the suspects, but to work with local elected officials and community leaders, Hopkins said.
“We have a job to do, too.
He didn’t see us as an annoyance or a distraction.
He saw us as partners and co-equals trying to help him address the need to keep our streets safer.
It was a pleasure and an honor to work with a man like that,” Hopkins said.
“His loss is devastating.
He is truly the kind of cop you want making decisions about how to protect us.”
The suspect identified as felon Shomari Legghette, was arrested and charged with his murder. [1]