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Unforeseen complications delay Fox Lake officer's death investigation

Published 
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 32 Chicago

CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) - A critical meeting between investigators and the coroner in the case involving the shooting death of Fox Lake Police Lt. Joe Gliniewicz is finally about to happen. It could mean the task force is a step closer to determining how he was killed.

But FOX 32 News has learned that there have been unforeseen complications in critical ballistics tests that have delayed the investigation. Lake County Sheriff’s Detective Chris Covelli confirms that the Northeastern Illinois Crime lab was unable to do all the necessary ballistics test, requiring that some highly sophisticated camera equipment be brought in from another lab to conduct additional tests to make sure nothing is missed.
Those tests are focused on reconstructing the trajectory of the bullet that killed Gliniewicz, as well as the distance from which it was likely fired. Tests are still also being done on the bullet that killed the officer.

Law enforcement sources have said the fatal shot was fired in a downward motion from the top of Gliniewicz's bullet proof vest. He was found face down and his gun about two feet away. Police have not disclosed if it was the gun used to kill him, saying that's part of the ballistic tests they are still waiting on. They also have not disclosed the caliber of the bullet that was recovered from Gliniewicz’s body.

Next week, Lake County Coroner Dr. Thomas Rudd will have his first face-to-face meetings, first with the task force commander, George Filenko, and then with other investigators.

“They said nothing about what they had, what it is. We will meet and if they have anything they will share it with me and then I'll be able to ask about what they don't have,” Dr. Rudd said.

He will make the final determination of the manner of death after getting all the reports from the task force. Another important element he said he'll need includes results from gunshot residue testing on Gliniewicz’s uniform, which will help his office determine if the fatal shot was fired from close range or from farther away.