The search for three "extremely dangerous" armed men who fatally shot a police lieutenant in far north suburban Fox Lake, Illinois, continued Wednesday, more than 24 hours after the shooting.
Detective Christopher Covelli with the Lake County Sheriff's office said Wednesday morning that a grid search of a 2-square-mile radius was stopped around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday after more than 400 police officers searched the area. Illinois State Police and other agencies continued "saturated patrols" overnight.
Officials have since widened the search area to cover Fox Lake subdivisions, Covelli said.
Commander George Filenko with the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force said officers with several local departments, neighboring suburbs, and federal agencies were involved in the search efforts Wednesday.
"I’m not going to set a time limit on this," he said. "I have a murdered colleague, a police officer, and we’re not going to stop [searching]."
Authorities say search crews will continue around the clock to find the suspects who are believed to be responsible for the killing of Lieutenant Charles "Joe" Gliniewicz, a 30-year-veteran of the police force.
"They're turning over any leaf or blade of grass to see if there’s anything they might have missed," Filenko said.
The gunmen are described as two white men and one black man, but further details on their descriptions have not been made available.
When asked how dangerous the suspects might be, Filenko said they were "extremely dangerous."
"They shot a police officer, I think that speaks for itself," he said.
In addition to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Fox Lake Police Department, search teams include numerous local law enforcement officers from northern Illinois, Illinois State Police, and federal agencies, according to officials. Multiple local and federal SWAT Teams, 48 canine units, and six air support units were also dispatched for more than 14 hours Tuesday.
Fox Lake and several surrounding districts canceled school for Wednesday in response to the ongoing search.
"As a result of those reports and deliberations, we have all decided that it is in the best interests of our students, the community, and law enforcement, to cancel school for tomorrow, Wednesday, September 2, 2015," school officials said in a statement just after 10 p.m.
Gliniewicz, who went by "Joe" and was affectionately called "G.I. Joe" by residents, dedicated his life to serving his community. He leaves behind a wife of 30 years, Melodie, and four sons.
Just after 8 a.m., Gliniewicz was investigating three suspicious suspects near Route 12 and Sayton Road in north suburban Fox Lake. Upon arrival, Gliniewicz was led on a foot pursuit by the men, Detective Covelli said, and soon after used his radio to call for backup.
A responding backup officer found Gliniewicz in a marshy area with a gunshot wound. Gliniewicz was pronounced dead shortly after.
During a Tuesday press conference residents in the area were told to stay indoors and report any suspicious activity as the investigation continued.