Lake County authorities said Monday they continue to investigate the shooting death of a Fox Lake police officer as a homicide but said results from gunshot residue testing “do not support or exclude any specific theory”.
Advertisement
Rudd said he hopes to review results from tests of DNA found beneath Gliniewicz’s fingernails, as well as any gunshot residue on the body.
Fox Lake police Lt. Gliniewicz was shot dead September 1. “There are no developments”, said Chris Covelli, spokesman for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
The death sparked a massive manhunt that has failed so far to produce any suspects.
The meeting comes after the task force blasted the coroner on September 10 over the release of information sensitive to the case. He said a K9 searching in the marshy area “positively tracked away from a scene” and was tracking on at least one suspect.
Covelli went on to describe the investigation as “very complex”. This includes whether the death was a suicide, accident or homicide though police have indicated they believe Gliniewicz was killed.
Gliniewicz’s family has dismissed any possibility that he took his own life. He told the Daily Herald in suburban Chicago that shortly before his death, his father was trying to decide if he wanted to visit Lake Tahoe or Vermont.
Though the Gliniewicz family reserved most of its anger for Rudd, the task force has contributed to the speculation.
“Fox Lake police are still out in full force”, Covelli said. “Everything else is dropped, and it gets looked at immediately”.
Additionally, a local government official familiar with the investigation says the lieutenant was hit twice: once in his protective vest and once at an angle that allowed the bullet to enter his chest.
Additionally, Covelli said they’ve received up to 300 leads from members of the community, from the crime scene, and from investigators’ work – and “every lead will be diligently researched”.
Even absent all the sophisticated tests, detectives could be reasonably sure within days if the gun was used, Kobilinsky said.
Advertisement
Authorities have said Gliniewicz’s gun was found near him but haven’t said how close or whether he was shot with his own gun.
