FOX LAKE, Ill. (AP) — New details are emerging more than week after the shooting death of a northern Illinois police officer sparked a manhunt for three suspects and a national outpouring of grief.
An official said Friday the officer had been shot twice. Investigators — who have yet to identify any suspects — lashed out Thursday at a county coroner, saying he jeopardized their investigation by publicly discussing details of the officer’s wounds as he announced that he could not yet rule the death a homicide, suicide or accident.
A guide to what’s known about the case:
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THE DEATH
Lt. Charles Gliniewicz, a 30-year police veteran, was shot Sept. 1 in the village of Fox Lake, one of Illinois’ most popular recreational areas. He told dispatchers he was chasing three men near a swampy area and requested a second unit, according to The Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Dispatchers soon lost contact with him, and backup officers found him about 50 yards from his squad car with a gunshot wound. He died soon after. Police say they’ve previously received several complaints about vandalism and squatters in the area, but it was not clear what brought Gliniewicz to the scene.
Fox Lake is about 45 miles north of Chicago.
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THE LATEST
A local government official familiar with the investigation said Friday that Gliniewicz was hit twice: once in his protective vest and once at an angle that allowed the bullet to enter his chest.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the ongoing investigation. The official said the fatal shot was fired from above the vest in a downward direction.
The official said it has yet to be determined whether Gliniewicz fired those two shots himself and that technicians are testing his hands for gunpowder residue. They’re also running tests on any material under his fingernails that might point to a close-quarters struggle with an attacker, the official said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office says several shots were fired, but hasn’t said whether any came from the officer’s weapon or how many times Gliniewicz was hit.
The county’s major crimes task force is also awaiting lab results on several items, including DNA recovered at the scene that does not belong to the lieutenant. They say they’re also waiting for ballistics test results.
A statement from the sheriff’s office Thursday said the investigation is “moving forward.”
But there have been setbacks. A false tip early on sent the manhunt on a five-hour wild goose chase through a cornfield in the dark. And three men seen on home security video near the scene turned out to have no connection to the case, investigators have said.
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CORONER CRITICIZED
Officials leading the investigation, who have provided few details about the death, are criticizing Lake County Coroner Dr. Thomas Rudd for releasing details on the officer’s wounds.
Rudd told the Chicago Tribune that Gliniewicz was shot in the torso. A day earlier, Rudd told multiple media organizations the officer died due to a single “devastating” gunshot wound. He also said his office has not ruled out the possibility of suicide or accident, explaining that he cannot yet make a ruling on the manner of death.
“Dr. Rudd, releasing information which is sensitive to this investigation, puts the entire case at risk. All of the progress made since this tragic incident is potentially in jeopardy,” Lake County Major Crime Task Force Cmdr. George Filenko said in Thursday’s written statement.
Undersheriff Raymond Rose said, “Dr. Rudd’s actions are completely outside of policy, procedure, protocols, and are completely unprofessional.”
Rudd has not responded to media requests for comment in response.
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THE INVESTIGATION
Authorities say they are still pushing ahead full force with help from federal agencies. At times, more than 100 investigators have been at work directly on the case. An FBI spokeswoman says they continue to support the investigation.
LOL gi joe took the cowards route. What a clown. yet some how I think this whole thing never happened. Either way I’m glad he’s dead. One less pig.
“… the shooting death of a northern Illinois police officer sparked a manhunt for three suspects and a national outpouring of grief.”
GRIEF???
Hardly…
https://youtu.be/LrEQAbfQQZc?t=24
LOL, my sentiments exactly.
” “Dr. Rudd, releasing information which is sensitive to this investigation, puts the entire case at risk.”
Hummm ??? Might that be because it would expose the lie of your game Cmdr. George Filenko & Undersheriff Raymond Rose ??? Oh, I have no desire to know WHAT, Mr. Rose, you are doing ” under the sheriff “. Or in front of or behind the sheriff either . . .
“… he announced that he could not yet rule the death a homicide, suicide or accident.”
Shot twice is pretty rare in a suicide or ‘accident’.
“The Lake County Sheriff’s Office says several shots were fired, but hasn’t said whether any came from the officer’s weapon…”
Didn’t realize it was that difficult to check a pig’s gun to see whether it had been fired or not. What do they need, a court order?
“The official said it has yet to be determined whether Gliniewicz fired those two shots himself and that technicians are testing his hands for gunpowder residue.”
EXCUSE ME?????
This pig was killed (ALLEGEDLY) TWO WEEKS AGO!!!
A gunshot residue test takes all of a minute or two.
The more I read about this ‘incident’, the louder this voice inside my head keeps screaming “BULLSH#T! BULLSH#T!! BULLSH#T!!!
“At times, more than 100 investigators have been at work directly on the case.”
That explains it (partially, anyway).
Plenty of mammon to be made. Lots of overtime put in on this one, no doubt.
“…Gliniewicz was hit twice: once in his protective vest and once at an angle that allowed the bullet to enter his chest. … The official said it has yet to be determined whether Gliniewicz fired those two shots himself.”
If this pig had wanted to commit suicide, why would he fire a shot into his bulletproof vest? LOL
I wonder how much this investigation has cost so far and what the total bill will be when it’s over. I’m sure they would spend equal resources going after the killer of a private citizen, right? Yeah, of course they would.
I’m glad they haven’t caught the shooter(s). Since it’s been two weeks and they haven’t identified anyone, there’s a decent chance that they never will. Good!
Another possibility just occurred to me. As NWO Hatr has already pointed out, gunshot residue tests are very quick. Even DNA analysis doesn’t take anywhere close to this long if it’s given priority (which I’m sure it was). Maybe the pigs are lying and don’t have anything more evidence to go on, but are pretending they still have some in the pipeline?
Why would they lie about this? Possibly to try to scare someone into surrendering. But the shooter(s) would have to be complete idiots to turn themselves in, especially now.
What shooters? 😯
O.K., where ya been hidin’, Paul? 🙄
hi #1…… Death in the family. Still not up to snuff but getting better. Left a spot in my heart like Digger did.
Very sorry to hear that, Paul. My condolences.
In a way, I’m kind of glad I don’t have a large family. Just my dad, 2 brothers & sister, and their 4 kids. I still miss my mom & other sister, though. They should still be here.
yup my father in law should still be here as well. 😡
While it’s technically possible that this whole incident is a elaborate stage production, I find that unlikely. It would require too convoluted a scheme, involving too many ordinary citizens, for the success of the hoax to be guaranteed. All the effort and expense wouldn’t be worth the risk of the truth getting out, especially when real pig-killings occur once in a while that can be exploited. (For example, they could get one guy in custody, then falsely claim there were other suspects still on the run who required a massive manhunt.)
It’s undeniable that government officials and their pigs in the US rely heavily on lies and deception as a method of political control. So skepticism of their claims is justified. But we shouldn’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. Sometimes it’s best to fall back on Occam’s razor, and IMO this is one of those cases.
Again, it’s not like pigs don’t occasionally get smoked for real in the US. God knows those cretins are doing everything they can to bring that on themselves, and I’m surprised it doesn’t happen more often in such a huge country. People do sometimes get away with it if they’re very careful or lucky.
P.S. I’m sorry to hear about your loss of a family member.