Illinois Police Officer Shot Dead; Manhunt Underway For 3 Suspects

By Laura Wagner

Published September 1, 2015 at 2:14 PM CDT

Police officers search an area around the Illinois city of Fox Lake, about 50 miles northwest of Chicago, for three suspects following the killing of a police officer early Tuesday.

Updated at 4:45 p.m. ET

The officer shot to death Tuesday morning was identified as Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, a veteran of the force for 32 years, according to the Chicago Tribune, which reports that he was married with four children.

The Tribune says:

"Gliniewicz was fun-loving and optimistic, said Thomas Poulos, a retired Waukegan police officer who said he went to high school with Gleniewicz in Antioch before both graduated in 1981.

"They stayed in touch and saw each other at local events and reunions, Poulos said, and it was clear that Gliniewicz — known as 'Joe' or 'Joey' in high school — enjoyed his job. Gliniewicz helped with the police department's Explorers program, which allows young adults to look into careers in policing.

" 'Loved his job, loved his kids, loved his wife, and he loved those explorers,' said Poulos, who now lives in California. 'He was just a delight to be around ... not a bad bone in his body.'

" 'This should never happen. Joey just loved his job,' Poulos said."

Our original post continues:

A police officer was shot and killed in a suburb north of Chicago Tuesday morning, and local and federal authorities are conducting a manhunt for three suspects.

The officer radioed to dispatchers that he was going to check on suspicious activity around 8 a.m. local time in the community of Fox Lake, Lake County sheriff's office spokesman Christopher Covelli said at a news conference. The officer, who has not yet been identified, then said he was in a "foot pursuit," before losing contact.

Covelli said responding officers arrived and found the officer injured from a gunshot wound and without his service weapon. The officer died at the scene.

That spurred a massive manhunt for three armed suspects — two white men and a black man — in the Fox Lake area, NPR's Cheryl Corley reports. She says authorities have locked down schools, blocked roads and are using helicopters and dogs.

The Chicago Tribune reports:

" 'If (residents) see anybody in their area ... that doesn't belong or doesn't look right, they should call 911,' [ Lake County Undersheriff Raymond Rose] said.

"Police, with the help of U.S. marshals, were searching woods and businesses in the area, authorities said.

"Every law enforcement agency in the area, along with a regional SWAT team, was assisting, according to George Filenko, commander of the Lake County Major Crime Task Force."

In addition, NPR's Carrie Johnson, citing a federal law enforcement source, reports that approximately 20 special agents from the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Chicago Field Division executive leadership are on the scene. Multiple ATF K-9 teams, which are trained to detect shell casings and ballistics evidence, are also involved in the search.