Police: Three Men Spotted On Fox Lake Video Not Involved In Cop's Death
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Police in north suburban Lake County said Tuesday the three men recorded on various surveillance cameras near the scene of a police officer's slaying last week were not involved in the fatal shooting.
Lake County Major Crimes Task Force Cmdr. George Filenko said the FBI has concluded lab work on a series of surveillance videos showing three men suspected of killing Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, and police were able to locate and interview all three, but have determined they were not involved.
The only description police have of the suspects is that they are two white men and one black man. Filenko said Gliniewicz did not provide a description of the men's height, weight, or clothing while in radio contact with dispatchers before he was killed.
Investigators had collected several surveillance videos from homes and businesses in the area which showed three men matching the vague description of the suspects. Police turned the videos over to the FBI for processing, and to put the videos in chronological order.
"We have located those individuals through our investigative process, interviewed all those individuals, and we have confirmed that we believe at this point they were not involved in this," Filenko said.
Podcast
Filenko said it's possible there is more video out there that investigators are not aware of.
Meantime, investigators have collected DNA evidence found at the scene of Gliniewicz's death, and determined it does not belong to the officer, but that it came from an unknown person. Filenko said police were working with the crime lab to establish whose DNA it is.
Investigators also were conducting "extensive" ballistic testing on Gliniewicz's firearm, which was found near his body.
Police said the investigation is a marathon, not a sprint, as they have addressed more than 185 leads so far.
Filenko said investigators believe the suspects are still in the area. He says that police are proceeding as if it's a homicide, despite no official ruling on the matter.
Dr. Thomas Rudd of the coroner's office tells CBS 2, "Without law enforcements final reports of this incident, I cannot determine the manner of death right now."
The manner of death would either be homicide, suicide or accidental.
Sources tell CBS 2's Brad Edwards in the heat of last week's manhunts CPD Superintendent Garry McCarthy loaned some of his best officers that assisted the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force. That unit was last enlisted Friday and not requested since.
Gliniewicz was shot and killed Sept. 1, after radioing that he was investigating suspicious activity, and had begun chasing three suspects. A few minutes after other officers arrived on the scene to back him up, they found Gliniewicz's body in a marshy area near U.S. Route 12 and Sayton Road.
The FBI also has set up a tip line and website for people to provide information about the case. Anyone with information about the shooting can call 800-CALL-FBI or go to www.fbi.gov/foxlake to provide tips, photos, or video.
Although the Lake County Coroner's office has yet to determine the official cause or manner of Gliniewicz's death, Filenko said police are continuing to treat the case as a homicide investigation.
Filenko also said investigators have not ruled out that Gliniewicz's death might have been related to internal investigations at the Fox Lake Police Department.
