CPD outraged after Chicago magazine gives accused cop killer a voice
CHICAGO (Fox 32 News) - The Chicago Police Department is outraged after an article chronicles the life of Shomari Legghette. He is charged with killing police commander Paul Bauer.
The Chicago magazine article is being called "deeply troubling" by the Chicago Police Union. It examines the lives of both men -- the commander and his suspected killer -- before their paths crossed two months ago.
"They're trying to paint this picture of somebody that I'm really not,” Legghette told the Chicago magazine.
The in-depth article details the suspected killer's upbringing. Friends and family say he was a responsible eldest child and a basketball star.
As for the deadly commander shooting, he says he's not guilty of murder and compares himself to Trayvon Martin.
"Would Trayvon Martin have been guilty with George Zimmerman if it had went the other way?" Legghette said.
The commander's wife also spoke to the Chicago magazine about her late husband's love for police work.
"He had an engineer's mind. He could have easily been a lawyer. But he liked being a police officer. He loved it,” Erin Bauer said.
She admits he was the one to bring the family through tough situations.
"He knew how to handle any situation with somebody or something, he just had the best advice. Always. All the time,” she said.
The article also highlights the commander's low point in his career following a 2003 deadly police pursuit.
In response to the article, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said, "Paul Bauer is a hero - executed while safeguarding Chicago. His killer is a nameless coward who represents everything I stand against."
The Chicago Fraternal Order of Police said the following on Facebook: "...it reveals clearly how little Chicago journalists truly know about the criminal mind, how little they desire to understand it, and how completely biased they are in writing about crime and crime victims…"
Legghette is in a Kankakee prison facing murder, drug and weapons charges.