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Suspect in Chicago police death charged with murder

CHICAGO (AP) - A man with a long criminal history that includes a conviction for armed robbery has been charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a Chicago police commander, authorities announced Wednesday.

Shomari Legghette, 44, was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, armed violence and possession of narcotics after police say they discovered he was carrying heroin, crack cocaine and marijuana. Legghette was armed with a semi-automatic handgun that had a 30-round magazine, and was wearing body armor under a heavy black jacket, police said.

At an emotional news conference Wednesday, police Superintendent Eddie Johnson talked about the suspect, but also described Cmdr. Paul Bauer's final moments as he assisted other officers Tuesday afternoon in pursuit of Legghette.

"When Paul heard the radio call, he didn't turn the other way to let someone else worry about it," Johnson said. "He didn't worry about his rank or the fact that he wasn't in his own district. He just ran towards where he was needed without hesitation."

The 53-year-old Bauer, wearing his police uniform, was in his car after having lunch near the James R. Thompson Center, a downtown government building, when he heard the call, police said Wednesday. Tactical officers had approached Legghette in an area where there had been reports of drug sales but Legghette ran away before they reached him.

Bauer, a 31-year department veteran, jumped from his car and ran after Legghette, who matched the description that he heard on his radio. Police said Bauer chased Legghette to the top of a stairwell, where the two fought, before Legghette grabbed him and the two of them fell down the stairwell.

Area Central Detectives Commander Brendan Deenihan said witnesses said - and an audio recording from a nearby taxi confirmed - that seven shots were fired at the bottom of the stairwell. All the shots came from the gun that Legghette was carrying and officers later recovered, Deenihan said.

Bauer did not draw his weapon, Deenihan said.

Police officers arrested Legghette a short time later in the stairwell.

A person who was briefed on the investigation but was not authorized to speak said Bauer was shot multiple times in the head. The person spoke on condition of anonymity. Officials did not discuss this detail at the news conference and the medical examiner's office only said that Bauer was shot to death.

Legghette has been arrested repeatedly and, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections, he has several felony convictions on his record dating back to the 1990s that have landed him in prison. Most of them are drug-related, but his record also includes crimes that show a willingness to use a gun.

According to the Department of Corrections, he was sentenced to prison in 1999 for armed robbery and after he was released, he was arrested again and sentenced to prison for possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number. Legghette was released from prison in 2008 before returning the next year after being convicted again for possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number.

Shortly after he was placed on parole, he returned to prison after it was revoked when he tested positive for drugs. He returned to prison again in 2015 after he was convicted for possession of a controlled substance.

One arrest in particular struck Johnson as a chilling prelude to what unfolded on Tuesday.

"In 2007, he was arrested for unlawful use of body armor, unlawful use of a weapon, armed violence and drug possession," the police superintendent said.

Johnson, who has repeatedly urged lawmakers to pass tougher laws to keep repeat gun offenders locked up, said Legghette's record should have forfeited his right to freedom.

"Some people don't deserve to walk the streets of Chicago," Johnson said. "He was one of them."

It was a similar message that Bauer himself shared at a gathering of business professionals just a few months before he died.

"Even when we catch somebody, there's still a long way to go to get them off the street," Bauer said at the Nov. 14 gathering, according to a report in the Loop North News. "We're not talking about the guy that stole a loaf of bread from the store to feed his family. We're talking about career robbers, burglars, drug dealers. These are all crimes against the community. They need to be off the street."

Deenihan said Legghette has refused to talk to police. He is in custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

Chicago police officers gather for a candlelight vigil for police Cmdr. Paul Bauer outside the Near North District headquarters Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018, in Chicago. The 53-year-old Bauer, who had been with the department 31 years, was fatally shot as he went to assist other officers who were pursuing the suspect, Shomari Legghette, in downtown Chicago on Tuesday. Legghette is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of Bauer. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) The Associated Press
In this Feb. 23, 2016 photo, then Chicago police Capt. Paul Bauer takes part in the arrest of a protester outside an Apple store on Magnificent Mile in Chicago. Promoted to commander, Bauer, 53, a 31-year veteran of the department, was fatally shot Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018, in downtown Chicago after he spotted a man matching the radio description of an armed suspect officers were chasing on foot, the city's police superintendent said. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) The Associated Press
This Oct. 19, 2016 photo provided by the Chicago Police Department shows Chicago Police Commander Paul Bauer. Cmdr. Bauer was killed after a foot chase Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018 in downtown Chicago. He was shot in the head by a suspect carrying a semi-automatic handgun equipped with an extended clip of ammunition, a police official told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Bauer had been on the police force for 31 years. (Chicago Police Department via AP) The Associated Press
This 2015 photo provided by the Cook County Sheriff's Office shows Shomari Legghette. Legghette, with a long criminal history that includes a conviction for armed robbery, has been charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer, authorities announced Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. (Cook County Sheriff's Office via AP) The Associated Press
A Chicago police officer shields their candle from the wind as they attend a candlelight vigil for police Cmdr. Paul Bauer outside the Near North District headquarters Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018, in Chicago. The 53-year-old Bauer, who had been with the department 31 years, was fatally shot as he went to assist other officers who were pursuing the suspect, Shomari Legghette, in downtown Chicago on Tuesday. Legghette is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of Bauer. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) The Associated Press
Chicago police officers gather for a candlelight vigil for police Cmdr. Paul Bauer outside the Near North District headquarters Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018, in Chicago. The 53-year-old Bauer, who had been with the department 31 years, was fatally shot as he went to assist other officers who were pursuing the suspect, Shomari Legghette, in downtown Chicago on Tuesday. Legghette is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of Bauer. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) The Associated Press
James Poole holds a police memorial American flag as he attends a candlelight vigil for Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer outside the Near North District headquarters Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018, in Chicago. The 53-year-old Bauer, who had been with the department 31 years, was fatally shot as he went to assist other officers who were pursuing the suspect, Shomari Legghette, in downtown Chicago on Tuesday. Legghette is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of Bauer. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) The Associated Press
Chicago police officers pass a memorial portrait of Cmdr. Paul Bauer for a candlelight vigil for Bauer outside the Near North District headquarters Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018, in Chicago. The 53-year-old Bauer, who had been with the department 31 years, was fatally shot as he went to assist other officers who were pursuing the suspect, Shomari Legghette, in downtown Chicago on Tuesday. Legghette is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of Bauer. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) The Associated Press
Todd Markshon, left, and Nick Moulopoulos bring flowers to a memorial for Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer outside the Near North District headquarters, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018, in Chicago. Bauer, 53, a 31-year veteran of the department was shot several times as he went to assist tactical officers pursuing a fleeing suspect in downtown Chicago Tuesday. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) The Associated Press
A photographic memorial for Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer is displayed inside the Near North District station, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018, in Chicago. Bauer, 53, a 31-year veteran of the department was shot several times as he went to assist tactical officers pursuing a fleeing suspect in downtown Chicago Tuesday. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) The Associated Press
Chicago police officers remain on the scene outside the James R. Thompson Center after off-duty Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer was shot several times as he went to assist tactical officers pursuing a fleeing suspect near the center on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) The Associated Press
Law enforcement vehicles, right, travel West on the Eisenhower Expressway as part of a procession taking the body of Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018, in Chicago. Bauer, who was off-duty, was shot several times when he went to assist tactical officers pursuing a fleeing suspect near the James R. Thompson Center In Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) The Associated Press
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