Illinois cop ‘staged’ suicide to cover up crimes, officials say

At a news conference, Lake County Major Crime Task Force Cmdr. George Filenko said Gliniewicz, 52, shot himself to death in a “carefully staged suicide” as the result of “extensive criminal acts.”

Gliniewicz for years ran the village’s Explorers program, which gave aspiring officers policing experience, and he had been stealing and laundering money for years, Filenko said.

“This is the first time as a law enforcement officer … that I’ve felt ashamed by the acts of another police officer,” he added.

Lake County State’s Attorney Mike Nerheim said the results of the investigation have been turned over to his office, as well as to the FBI, for investigation and potential prosecution of alleged crimes that are not related to his shooting but were uncovered during the investigation into it.

The announcement Wednesday marks the completion of a 180-degree turn for an investigation that began with hundreds of officers, as well as dogs and helicopters, searching for suspects who apparently never existed.