Chicago cop killer gets life sentence in death of Cmdr. Paul Bauer

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A man convicted of murdering a Chicago police commander in 2018 was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday. 

Shomari Legghette, 47, recieved a mandatory life term for the fatal February 2018 shooting of Cmdr. Paul Bauer, 53, because he was convicted of killing a police officer in the line of duty.

Despite statements made by the victim's widow and daughter minutes before his sentencing, Legghette didn’t apologize for the crime, reports said. Instead, he argued the trial wasn't fair and suggested he was a victim. 

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Shomari Legghette listens as the jury finds him guilty of first-degree murder in the 2018 killing of Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer, at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago on March 13, 2020. (Associated Press)

“There was nothing fair about this prosecution,” Legghette said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. 

The shooting occurred after Bauer heard a radio call that a man was running from officers as he was walking to City Hall on Feb. 13, 2018, authorities have said. The police commander chased and caught Legghette before they both fell down a stairwell during a struggle. Legghette then shot Beuer several times, authorities have said.

At the sentencing hearing, Bauer’s teenage daughter, Grace, gave an emotional statement describing an alternate timeline in which her father stayed home the day he was shot. She said in a perfect world, her father would still be making her Eggo waffles each morning. 

Chicago police Commander Paul Bauer was shot multiple times when he was slain Feb. 13, 2018, while pursuing a suspect. (Chicago Police Department)

“I’m not living in my perfect world anymore, and I can never go back to it,” she said, according to the paper.

Bauer's wife, Erin Bauer, addressed Legghette directly, saying he had caused her pain.

“To lose someone so violently adds another layer of pain that is indescribable,” she told Legghette.

Legghette gave a statement on Wednesday suggesting he was framed by police and prosecutors. He claimed a responding officer fired the fatal shots that killed Bauer, despite no evidence being presented at the trial declaring that's what happened.

“Paul Bauer’s death actually was reckless and egregious when he chose to break protocol and use excessive force,” Legghette said.

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Before the fatal shooting, plainclothes officers saw Legghette urinating on a support column. When an officer called out, he took off running, according to court testimony.

Prosecutors described Legghette as a “human crime wave” on the day of the shooting. They said he was wearing illegal body armor, carrying a gun with an extended clip, as well as an ice pick-type weapon. Legghette also had drugs on him, they said.

“He knew he was going back to prison and that it was going to be a long stay based on his record,” Assistant State's Attorney John Maher added.

Chicago police Supt. David Brown, in a statement on Twitter on Wednesday, called Bauer "a compassionate police officer and leader."

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"Commander Paul Bauer was a dedicated and loving husband to Erin and a devoted father to Grace," Brown wrote. "He showed bravery when he sacrificed his own life to protect this city."

The Associated Press contributed to this report