Hunt widens for 3 suspects near Chicago: What we know
A massive manhunt is underway for a second day in Illinois, as the search for three suspects in the fatal shooting of a popular veteran police officer continues. Here's what you need to know.
Where the search is now: After an exhaustive 14-hour search of a two-square-mile area near the scene of the fatal shooting of Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz on Tuesday morning, more than 400 officers are broadening the search in the Fox Lake, Ill., area.
Aided by dozens of dogs and helicopters, authorities are conducting “saturation patrols,” which means investigating suspicious activity and reassuring residents, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. The county’s Major Crimes Task Force is leading the investigation. Meanwhile, residents are urged to stay indoors, and schools are on lockdown.
What exactly happened: Gliniewicz was gunned down shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Sheriff's Department. He had radioed dispatch to say that he was going to check on suspicious activity in the suburb of Fox Lake, but did not say what that activity was. Moments later, he radioed in to say that he was pursuing three suspects on foot, but communication was lost after that.Suspects: The suspects are described as two white males and one black male. SWAT officers were tipped off to a house in Fox Lake where the suspects might be holed up, but the search proved to be fruitless.
The officer was later found in a marshy area without his gun or gear. Gliniewicz, also known as "G.I. Joe," was a father of four with more than 30 years of policing experience. According to several media reports, the veteran police officer who oversaw his department's Explorer Post 300 youth program, was just weeks away from retirement. His death marks the third law enforcement fatality in Illinois this year, and the fourth incident in nine days across the USA where a law enforcement officer has been slain while on duty. A deputy was gunned down execution-style on Friday while fueling his patrol car in Texas.
Where the incident happened: Gliniewicz was on routine patrol at an industrial area in the small northern Illinois community of Fox Lake. The lake-dotted area is located about 60 miles north of Chicago, near the Wisconsin border. It's an area popular for boating and other outdoor activities. A vigil for the fallen officer will be held in the area Wednesday evening.
(Contributing: Aamer Madhani, USA TODAY; The Associated Press)