Chicago cop accused of killing unarmed man has to post no bail

A veteran Chicago Police officer accused of fatally shooting an unarmed man on the Northwest Side while he was off duty was released without having to post bail on Thursday.

Lowell Houser was released on his own recognizance but has to be placed on electronic monitoring while he awaits trial, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.

Houser is facing murder charges for the Jan. 2 incident in the 2500 block of North Lowell.

Houser, who is assigned to the mass transit unit, shot Jose Nieves after an “altercation” between the men escalated, authorities said.

Houser, 57, joined the police department about 28 years ago. His disciplinary history includes five-day suspensions for an off-duty domestic altercation in 2001 and a medical-roll violation in 2006.