Officers Escort Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer's Body To Morgue
(CBS) – The entire 18th Police District were a part of the procession that brought fallen Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office Tuesday.
Bauer, 53, was fatally shot outside the James R. Thompson Center as he responded to a bulletin about a suspect. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where Police Supt. Eddie Johnson announced the death.
The ambulance carrying Bauer's body left the hospital, followed by dozens of police vehicles.
The procession went through Grant Park to Congress and onto I-290 and put rush-hour traffic at a standstill.
The path led to Harrison Street on the West Side, where the medical examiner's office is located. Ladder trucks draped a swaying American flag over the procession line. It was so long it took 15 minutes for the last vehicle to pass, CBS 2's Audrina Bigos reports.
Bauer, a 31-year veteran of the department, had commanded the 18th District (Near North) for the past two years. The district's entire contingent of officers, nearly 80, took part in Tuesday's procession, says Chicago Police Department spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi.
Officers from other districts and specialized units covered their calls and patrols.
