FOX LAKE, Ill., Nov. 4 (UPI) — The Illinois cop first believed to have died in a chase with suspects actually shot himself in an elaborately staged suicide.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is expected to announce “conclusive results” Wednesday that Fox Lake, Ill., Lt. Joe Gliniewicz killed himself, motivated by personal issues and an ongoing law-enforcement investigation.
Gliniewicz, 52, was found dead on Sept. 1 after he had radioed he was pursuing three suspicious men on foot.
When officers arrived, Gliniewicz was found bleeding to death with his service weapon nearby. One shot hit his protective vest with the force “similar to that of a sledge hammer hitting you in the side,” authorities said. The fatal shot hit him in the upper chest area.
At the time, Lake County officials said they were handling the case as a homicide, conducting a widespread manhunt that turned up no suspects. They pursued other angles, including a self-inflicted gun shot.
