Police officer killed north of Chicago; massive manhunt underway

Aamer Madhani | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Manhunt grows for 3 suspects in Illinois cop's death A growing manhunt continued on land and in the air Tuesday for three suspects believed to have gunned down a police officer in northern Illinois during a foot chase.

CHICAGO — Law enforcement continued a massive manhunt on Tuesday north of the city, searching for three suspects in the shooting death of a veteran police officer as he patrolled a quiet suburban community.

The killing marks the fourth incident in nine days across the USA where a law enforcement officer has been slain while going about his regular duties.

The incident in the far north Chicago suburbs comes after a Harris County, Texas, sheriff's deputy was gunned down Friday as he fueled his patrol car. Police on Saturday arrested Shannon Miles, who they said shot 15 bullets into Deputy Darren Goforth, 47. Sheriff Ron Hickman described the killing as a "cold-blooded assassination."

On Aug. 26, police officer Henry Nelson was gunned down in Sunset, La. Two days earlier, Senior Trooper Steven Vincent, of the Louisiana State Police, was shot in the head and then taunted after he stopped to provide aid to a man whose truck was stuck in a ditch. Police said a witness to the fatal shooting heard the suspect tell the trooper after he shot him, "You're lucky, you are going to die soon."

Despite the spate of recent killings, the number of law enforcement officers killed by gunfire while on duty this year — 23 as of Aug. 31, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page — is less than the same time period in 2014, when 29 law enforcement officers died by gunfire.

In Tuesday's shooting, the Fox Lake police officer, identified as Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, was patrolling in an industrial area in the suburb of Fox Lake shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday, said Lake County, Ill., Sheriff’s Department spokesman Chris Covelli. The officer radioed dispatch to say that he was going to check on suspicious activity he had spotted. Covelli declined to specify what the suspicious activity was.

Moments later, Gliniewicz radioed that he was pursuing suspects by foot, but communication was lost soon after that.

The officer was found in a marshy area, stripped of his gun and other gear.

Mayor Donny Schmit, the top elected official of the town of 10,000, recalled Gliniewicz as an officer with more than 30 years of policing experience who was fondly nicknamed "G.I. Joe." Gliniewicz, he said, was the father of four boys. "His commitment to the people in the community was unmatched and will be dearly missed," Schmit said.

Police established a perimeter as they sought the three suspects, one described by law enforcement as a black male and two described as white males.

Shortly before 3 p.m., SWAT officers from several agencies honed in on one house in Fox Lake where they had information that one or more suspects might be holed up, a law enforcement source who was not authorized to speak publicly said. But that search proved to be fruitless.

The manhunt disrupted train service on Metra's Milwaukee District North Line, and officials at nearby Grant Community High School said they were ordered by police to keep students inside the school. Students at Fox Lake schools also kept students an hour beyond the regularly scheduled dismissal time out of caution.

Late Tuesday, several area schools announced that they would cancel classes on Wednesday as police said they would continue "saturation patrols" in Fox Lake. Law enforcement officials said that they would increase their presence near schools in the area that will remain open.

Follow USA TODAY Chicago correspondent Aamer Madhani on Twitter: @AamerISmad