'Single Devastating Gunshot Wound' Killed Fox Lake Police Lieutenant: Coroner

A “single devastating gunshot wound” took the life of Fox Lake police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, the Lake County Coroner said.

The coroner, Dr. Thomas A. Rudd, declined to say whether Gliniewicz suffered other bullet wounds that did not factor into his death, or to reveal where the fatal shot struck the lieutenant.

Rudd also said he has not yet been provided enough information to rule on the cause or manner of Gliniewicz’s death.

“Right now we can’t say if it’s an accident, homicide or suicide,” he said. Rudd did note that, for now, “We are leaning in favor of homicide.”

Gliniewicz, 52, was killed shortly after he started his shift the morning of Sept 1. He radioed in that he had spotted two white men and a black man in a remote area of the sleepy northern Illinois town and determined they were “suspicious.” He then reported that he was going to confront them, police said.

“This whole thing is getting a little sticky as far as the cause and manner of death.”

Lake County Coroner Thomas A. Rudd

Gliniewicz called for backup and said the men were running into a swamp. Two officers arrived to assist Gliniewicz. They found him shot dead on the ground.

Gliniewicz’s .40-caliber pistol was recovered from the death scene.

The commander of the task force investigating Gliniewicz’s death, George Filenko, would not say whether the weapon was used to kill Gliniewicz. Filenko has also declined to reveal if postmortem testing showed Gliniewicz fired a gun.

On Tuesday, Filenko said DNA from an “unknown donor” was found at the crime scene. That DNA is being analyzed at the Northern Illinois Crime Lab. Filenko would not provide anymore details on where exactly the DNA was located or what type of DNA evidence authorities had found.

Rudd questioned whether it was even possible for a killer to get close enough to Gliniewicz — a former soldier and veteran police officer — to take his life.

“This is an Army man,” Rudd said. “He’s 52, (but) he’s got the body of a 25-year-old. When you’re in the armed forces, obviously, you’re trained how to kill.”

And if Gliniewicz was in a fatal struggle, Rudd suggested the lieutenant would “take somebody with him.”

“He’s going to rip out the guy’s eyes or his throat,” he said.

“This whole thing is getting a little sticky as far as the cause and manner of death,” the coroner said.

“This is a tough case,” he said. “Emotions play a lot in this.”