Fox Lake Shooting Update: Illinois Officer’s Death Likely A Suicide, Investigators Say
After weeks of speculation, the latest Fox Lake shooting update indicates Illinois police officer Joe Gliniewicz’s death was likely a suicide. An intense manhunt for three suspects resulted in the closing of area schools and a house-to-house search that yielded no results.
According to the Chicago Tribune, authorities have called a press conference on Wednesday to issue an official Fox Lake shooting update. The report indicates investigators have “significant new information” about the mysterious death of Fox Lake police Lt. Joe Gliniewicz.
In a related report by the Inquisitr last month, authorities had uncovered some answers in the case that garnered national attention, but they did not have all the information they needed to determine exactly how officer Gliniewicz died.
Around 8 a.m. on September 1, 2015, 30-year veteran officer Lt. Joe Gliniewicz radioed for help stating he was in pursuit of unidentified individuals. The Fox Lake suspects were never located, but Gliniewicz described them as two white males and one black male.
Dispatchers lost contact with the officer at that moment, leading to a massive Fox Lake manhunt that continued into the night and the following day. Authorities scoured the very popular vacation spot on the last days of summer, and residents were forced to lock their doors as police searched for the suspects.
Police responding to the scene found the Fox Lake officer shot and his.40-caliber handgun not far away and still there were no signs of the suspects in Fox Lake. After days of investigation, Lake County Coroner Thomas Rudd shocked the nation by saying he couldn’t rule suicide or any manner of death out in Gliniewicz’s death.
In a Fox Lake shooting update a month after his death, police said officer Gliniewicz’s GPS indicated he was on foot near the scene of the crime for about 20 minutes before calling dispatchers about the three suspects. Authorities had assigned the Fox Lake officer to monitor recent reports of vandalism in the area after a meeting with the village’s officials.
A married father of four children, Gliniewicz was on his way to work in his patrol car, which he had taken home the day before, when he radioed dispatchers saying he had spotted three suspicious individuals in the area, according to CNN. He informed the call center that he was pursuing the Fox Lake suspects on foot and, a few minutes later, requested backup.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found the Fox Lake shooting victims laying about 50 feet away from his patrol car. Authorities said he was killed with his service weapon, but they still couldn’t understand why the suspects left the gun at the scene of the crime.
Fox Lake residents are stunned to find out that Gliniewicz committed suicide, and on Tuesday night, before the official announcement, some expressed their surprise, but most still support the late Fox Lake officer.
“It’s a really messed-up case, and really sad for the community,” Crystal Moore said. “I respect him, and I think he’s a hero.”
Another resident, identified only as Brad, said many questions remained unanswered, even with the latest Fox Lake update. While a childhood friend of Gliniewicz also expressed surprise that suicide was the cause of the officer’s death.
The Fox Lake shooting update press conference is scheduled for later on Wednesday morning and Illinois authorities are expected to announce that police Lt. Joe Gliniewicz committed suicide on September 1. The small community has rallied in support of his widow and children, as the veteran officer was very involved and extremely respected by many in the area.
[Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images]
