CHICAGO (AP) – The handgun used to kill a Chicago police commander had once been bought and sold by an unlicensed gun dealer who federal authorities say described peddling guns “like an addiction.”
The Chicago Tribune investigated the sales of the gun used to kill Cmdr. Paul Bauer in February. The accused shooter, Shomari Legghette, is charged with first-degree murder.
It’s unclear how Legghette got the weapon. But federal investigators traced the gun to 68-year-old Thomas Caldwell. The Wisconsin man has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of selling firearms without a license. A man Caldwell says he sold the gun to last year is facing a similar charge.
The case illustrates the ease with which people can illegally buy and sell guns. Chicago police say that’s a big factor in the hundreds of shooting deaths each year in Chicago.
