The suspicious death of an Illinois police officer is currently under investigation by the FBI after evidence surfaced suggesting the officer killed himself — and wasn’t murdered like previously thought.
On Sept. 1, Joseph Gliniewicz’s death was thought to be the result of murder, according to Fox News. Before his death, Gliniewicz reported to his station he was chasing three suspects on foot, describing the suspects as one black male and two white males. When Gliniewicz’s body was found shot twice by his own gun, investigators thought he died at the hands of a racially-motivated crime.
But after further investigation by the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force and the FBI, according to Fox News, the officer may have actually killed himself. Gliniewicz was reportedly a part of an internal police department asset and inventory check, and may have been extremely stressed about the review. (RELATED: South Carolina Police Officer Murdered In Mall Shooting)
Fox requested information about Gliniewicz’s involvement in the inventory check, but because the investigation is active, the Village of Fox Lake can not disclose details under the Freedom Of Information Act.
But friend of Gliniewicz’s, Donny Schmit, told Fox News he saw the officer the day before he died, and claimed nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except for a comment about retiring early.
One of the most questionable aspects of the situation, Fox reported, was Gliniewicz’s police chief Michael Behan resigned just days after the cop was found dead. According to the report, Behan is currently under internal investigation for a police brutality incident that occurred last December.
“I look forward to a conclusion and a determination on the death. I have all the confidence in the world in the Major Crimes Task Force,” Schmit told Fox News. Gliniewicz’s friend later added, “We miss our fellow officer and the loss of leadership at the police department.”