Who Was Charles Joseph Gliniewicz?

A police officer in Fox Lake, Illinois, a far suburb of Chicago, was shot and killed on Tuesday, after chasing down three suspicious men. Officials announced that the officer who was killed had been identified as 52-year-old Lieutenant Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, a veteran member of the police force. With a manhunt still ongoing, as police search for the three suspects in the shooting, many are wondering who Officer Gliniewicz was.

Gliniewicz had been a member of the police force for 32 years, was married, and was the father of four children. Family, friends, and co-workers have been remembering Gliniewicz very fondly, calling him by his nicknames, Joey and G.I. Joe. According to The Chicago Tribune, Thomas Poulos, a retired police officer from the nearby suburb of Waukegan, said, "This should never happen. Joey just loved his job. Loved his job, loved his kids, loved his wife, and he loved those explorers [referring to a program for young people to explore careers in law enforcement]." The Tribune also reported that Fox Lake's mayor, Donny Schmidt, stated, "We lost a family member. G.I. Joe was the father of four boys and a dedicated officer."

There has also been at outpouring of sadness on Twitter, where community members and other police officers are giving their condolences to Gliniewicz's family, and expressing their own feelings of loss.

Gliniewicz's body was discovered near Route 12 and Sayton Road in Fox Lake. His gun and other gear had been removed from his body. ABC7 in Chicago reported that Gliniewicz lost communication with his backup after pursuing three suspicious men on foot in the same area where his body was found. The three suspects are still at large, and are being searched for on land and by helicopter.

Following Gliniewicz's shooting, local schools were put on lockdown to protect students and teachers, and the mayor asked that parents personally pick their students up from school. Parts of the Metra commuter rail system near Fox Lake, as well as main roads near the scene of the crime, were also closed for several hours on Tuesday. Authorities have said that the still-at-large suspects should be considered armed and dangerous.