Illinois ‘victim of the war on cops’ actually committed suicide: reports

Officials will announce on Wednesday that an Illinois police lieutenant believed to have been shot and killed actually took his own life, WMAQ-TV and other Chicago outlets reported on Tuesday night.

Fox Lake Lieutenant Joseph Gliniewicz's death in September sparked a manhunt stemming from his request for backup as he pursued three "suspicious men" in the small community near the border between Illinois and Wisconsin.

The 52-year-old officer was found on Sept. 1 with fatal gunshot wounds in a remote area of the community. No arrests have been made in connection with his death, and investigators have already stated that Gliniewicz was shot twice with his own gun.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office refused to comment on the reports on Tuesday, saying that the cause of the 30-year veteran's death would be revealed during a press conference on Wednesday morning.

As the Daily Dot reported at the time, conservative media outlets used Gliniewicz's death of an example of what they called a "war on cops," which they have blamed at times on the Black Lives Matter movement while also complaining that officers were afraid to do their jobs because of the increase in citizens recording their interactions with the public.

Watch WMAQ's report, as aired on Tuesday, here.

[h/t The Daily Beast]