Bauer, 53, was near the Thompson Center when he heard the officers put out a description of the suspect they were chasing on his radio and assisted.
“The commander encountered the offender and a confrontation ensued,” Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson told the Chicago Tribune in an email.
A source told the Associated Press that Bauer, 53, had identified himself as a police officer and was trying to detain the suspect when they got into a physical fight and fell down a stairwell that led to a locked underground walkway. The source says the suspect shot Bauer in the head.
Police spokesman Frank Giancamilli would not comment to the Tribune on the weapon but said the suspect was wearing a ballistic vest under a heavy coat when he was arrested.
Guglielmi told The Associated Press the suspect, Shomari Legghette of Chicago, will be charged with first-degree murder, possession of narcotics and being a felon in possession of a firearm.