Slain Commander Worked With CPD's Mounted Police
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A member of the Chicago Police Department's administration was fatally shot at the James R. Thompson Center Tuesday afternoon while confronting an armed suspect, officials said.
Paul Bauer, commander of the 18th Police District, heard a bulletin describing a suspicious individual who had run away from tactical officers, Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said. Bauer engaged with the suspect, who shot him several times, fatally injuring him.
Hearts are heavy at the 18th District, where Bauer was the commander for about two years.
CBS 2 interviewed Bauer in 2013 when he was the lieutenant of the Mounted Unit of the Chicago Police Department. He spoke about his love of horses and working with them.
"There's no better way of moving a crowd than with a horse. They don't want to touch the horse, nor do they want the horse to step on them," he said. "You don't have to buy them lunch. They don't complain," he added, laughing.
We also interviewed Bauer in 2012 about a break-in on the grounds of the South Shore Cultural Center, where the horses are kept. The animals were deliberately injured. During the interview, Bauer expressed how much he cared about the horses.
"They did not enter this to commit a theft, rather, it appears they entered this to maliciously harm our horses -- for what reason, I don't know."
Sources say Bauer was known as a go-getter who supported the men and women at the 18th District and cared about the community.
"Today is an extremely difficult day for the Chicago police family," an emotional Johnson told reporters outside Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where Bauer was taken.
Johnson asked that residents offer their thoughts and prayers on behalf of Bauer's family.
Bauer was a 31-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department.
