Slain Cop 'GI Joe' Was Father of Four

Police north of Chicago continued to hunt for three men accused of murdering a police officer this morning. The slain officer has been identified as Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewitz, 52, a 30-year veteran of the Fox Lake police force and a father of four. "He's got four sons who are going to have to go on alone," his mother-in-law tells the Chicago Tribune. Gliniewitz's last communication came about 8am when he said he was chasing three suspicious men, two white and one black, on foot. Another officer who followed up found his body in a marshy area, his gun and other gear stolen. He died at the scene from a gunshot wound.

"We lost a family member," said Fox Lake Mayor Donny Schmit, who added that the officer known as "GI Joe" was a personal friend, reports AP. The manhunt still underway is "massive," reports NBC Chicago, with helicopters patrolling overhead as canine units, US marshals, and SWAT teams in camouflage comb the wooded area. "This particular officer is a pillar in my community and definitely going to be missed, and (he) touched so many lives," says a teacher in Fox Lake, about 55 miles north of Chicago. (More police officer stories.)