New videos obtained in just the last 24 hours could shed light on the slaying of a Fox Lake police officer, the head of the investigation said Friday.
“We’ve acquired several more videos that we believe are even more relevant” than one that investigators turned over earlier this week to the Department of Homeland Security, Lake County Major Crime Task Force Cmdr. George Filenko said at a news conference Friday.
The videos, which came from home and business surveillance cameras, have been turned over to the FBI for analysis and editing to create one video showing the area both before and after the shooting of Fox Lake Police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz.
“The FBI has the technology to put these videos in sequential order,” Filenko said. “I think we’re optimistic about all the videos now, because they all come together.”
Also on Friday, Schaumburg-based Motorola Solutions announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the officer’s death.
Filenko would not say if the new videos clearly show the three suspects, allowing only that “there is a commonality there” among the videos.
Those suspects have so far eluded capture since Gliniewicz was shot and killed Tuesday morning in Fox Lake. Investigators have been able to release only a vague description — three men, two white, one black — based on the officer’s initial call to dispatchers.
Though they are still on the loose, Filenko said he also thinks they might still be in the area.
In his experience, he said, “individuals are more comfortable hiding in place” than going on the run. “We’re still hoping that they are in this area, within our reach.”
Even so, he added: “We feel that the safety of the public is not in jeopardy.”
Filenko also would not discuss any forensic details, such as details on whether Gliniewicz fired his weapon, or whether any other DNA was found at the crime scene. He did for the first time confirm that Gliniewicz’s gun was found near his body.
Investigators have had offers of help from all over Illinois, but are doing fine with the resources at hand, he said.
“We have a murdered colleague. Three hours of sleep is enough for me,” said Filenko, who said at 60, he is twice the age of some of the others working on the investigation.
“Fatigue is not a factor.”
Contributing: Associated Press
