Fox Lake, Illinois — A massive manhunt is underway in Lake County after a Fox Lake police officer was shot Tuesday morning, around 8:00 a.m.
The Officer has been identified as Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, a 32-year veteran of the force. He was a husband and a father of four.
Gliniewicz had the nickname “G.I. Joe”.
The shooting happened during a traffic stop involving a suspicious vehicle and the Officer did call for backup prior to the shooting.
The Officer indicated he was in a foot pursuit before his radio lost contact.
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Back-up Officers arrived and found their fellow officer in a marshy area, stripped of his gun, pepper spray and other gear. The Officer died on the scene from his injuries.
From NBC Chicago: The 52-year-old officer was on the cusp of retirement when he was gunned down, according to Joe Ahern, CEO of the 100 Club of Chicago. Gliniewicz planned to retire last month, but the police chief asked him to stay one extra month to help out, Ahern said.
Gliniewicz was known as a “family man” and a youth mentor with an unmatched dedication to his community, according to Village of Fox Lake Mayor Donny Schmit, who also said Gliniewicz was a “dear friend.”
Police say they are searching for three suspects, a black male and 2 white males.
Metra has suspended commuter trains on the Milwaukee District North Line, which runs between Fox Lake and Chicago Union Station.
“As information continues to come in about the shooting of another police officer in the line of duty in Fox Lake, I hope we can all remain calm and pray for the officer’s family and the other officers in harms-way right now,” State Rep. Barbara Wheeler said in a statement. “Eleven police officers have needless lost their lives since Aug. 20th alone in America because of shootings and sadly our communities have been directly impacted today.”
This story is developing and will be updated.
