Crime & Safety
Manhunt Continues After Veteran Police Officer Shot, Killed
Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, a 30-year veteran of the Fox Lake Police Department, died Tuesday morning in the attack.
Photo caption: Lt. Joseph Gliniewicz was shot and killed Tuesday morning in Fox Lake.
A manhunt remained underway late Tuesday for three suspected gunmen accused of shooting and killing a 30-year veteran of the Fox Lake Police Department who was expected to retire this month.
Joe Ahern, CEO of the 100 Club of Chicago, told NBC Chicago Charles Joseph Gliniewicz had planned to retire last month but the police chief asked him to stay a bit longer to help out. He was married, had four children and went by the nickname “G.I. Joe.”
The incident in Fox Lake unraveled shortly before 8 a.m. when Gliniewicz first radioed police dispatch to say he was pursuing three suspects involved in some sort of “suspicious activity,” Lake County Sheriff’s Detective Chris Covelli told CBS Chicago. Police then lost radio contact with the officer.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found the Fox Lake police officer’s body in a marshy area near Route 12 and Sayton Road. His gun and other gear had been taken, according to the Chicago Tribune. Gliniewicz died at the scene.
Helicopters, dogs and “every law enforcement agency in the area, along with a regional SWAT team,” assisted Tuesday in the search for the three suspects, George Filenko, commander of the Lake County Major Crime Task Force, told the Chicago Tribune. FBI agents, ATF and U.S. Marshals are also assisting with the search.
Police said the suspects are two white men and one black male. Residents living in the area were being told to stay inside and report any suspicious activity, NBC Chicago reports.
There was a heavy police presence along Route 12 in Fox Lake late Tuesday morning. Yellow crime scene tape was up around Dipstick Oil Change on Route 12 and about 30 police vehicles, including some military-grade vehicles, were on the scene at Frontage and Sayton roads, according to the Daily Herald. Police searched a marsh in Fox Lake Tuesday morning, area Metra stations and checked areas along Rollins Road, according to scanner reports.
Authorities also spent several hours combing a wooded area on foot and by helicopter near the scene, according to ABC 7.
Several area schools, including schools in Fox Lake, Grayslake and Woodstock, were placed on lockdown Tuesday in response to the manhunt and Metra trains halted service in the Fox Lake area.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article stated police had one in custody, according to a CNN report. That report was inaccurate, Lake County police told CNN.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
