CHICAGO (CNN) A police commander was fatally shot while responding to a call Tuesday in downtown Chicago, authorities said.

Cmdr. Paul Bauer, 53, went after a suspect who had an altercation with other officers and escaped, police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said. The commander had been attending training and heard an alert, CNN affiliate WBBM reported.

Bauer, a 31-year veteran, encountered the individual and was shot several times, Johnson said.

At first, Johnson had said Bauer was off-duty when he responded to a radio call by tactical officers patrolling a nearby area.

But Officer Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for Chicago Police, tweeted early Wednesday that he was on duty.

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