An off-duty Chicago police officer was fatally shot at a downtown government building

Chicago Tribune/John J. Kim via Associated Press

Chicago Police officers arrive at Northwestern Memorial Hospital emergency room, where an high-ranking Chicago Police officer was brought in code red, serious to critical condition, after being shot in or near the Thompson Center in Chicago, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018.

• A high-ranking Chicago police officer is dead after being shot at a government building while he was off-duty.
• Cmdr. Paul Bauer was shot several times when he was assisting tactical officers pursuing a suspect, authorities said.

Chicago's police chief says a high-ranking member of the department has died after being shot at a state government building downtown.

Superintendent Eddie Johnson told reporters that Cmdr. Paul Bauer was shot several times. He was off-duty when he went to assist tactical officers pursuing a fleeing suspect near the James R. Thompson Center shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Johnson says the suspect was taken into custody and a gun was recovered at the scene.

Bauer was rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.