Three cops murdered in less than a week: Another officer is found slaughtered in his Texas home amid growing safety fears and a manhunt for the Illinois cop killers who got away

Chicago Cop Shot & Killed. Manhunt Underway For 3 Suspects {VIDEO}

• Don Allen, 27, was found dead in Clyde, Texas, on Monday night
• Authorities launched homicide case over suspicious death
• Grim discovery made not long before Charles Gliniewicz shot in Illinois
• Both deaths follow Houston-area deputy Darren Goforth killed on Friday 

A Texas police officer was found murdered in his home just hours before an officer in Illinois was gunned down in the street on a morning patrol.

Don Allen, 27, was killed at home some time Monday evening in Clyde, Texas, and found by family members around 7pm. 

Authorities have not released details of his death, but launched a homicide investigation over Allen, who has served in the Abilene police department for three years.

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Killed: Don Allen, a police officer in Abilene, Texas, was found dead at home within hours of Charles Joseph Gliniewicz being gunned down on patrol in Fox Lake, Illinois

Manhunt: Authorities in Fox Lake are seen arming themselves to track down Gliniewitz's killer

Search: Dozens of personnel were dispatched to bring in the suspects, two of whom are white and one black

He was off-duty at the time, and the only one at home when the discovery was made. 

Supporters: Members of the public held up signs to offer their condolences in Fox Lake after Gliniewicz was killed

'Stand with blue': Sisters Brittany and Renee Evans joined with other Fox Lake residents as the manhunt continued

The discovery of the dead officer comes at the same time as police in Fox Lake, Illinois, have launched a search for three armed suspects in the death of an officer.

Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, 52, died of gunshot wounds Tuesday morning in the Chicago suburb, prompting a search for three suspicious men he was chasing just before he died.

Officer Allen's death also came just days after a sheriff's deputy, Darren Goforth, was shot dead at a gas station near Houston while filling up his patrol car.

The latest killing - the third in less than a week - has prompted fear among other officers.

Another police death: Darren Goforth was shot dead outside Houston on Friday

According to CNN, Abilene police chief Stan Standridge said: 'The initial reaction was fear. Why was Officer Allen chosen?

'That speaks volumes as it relates to how vulnerable are we. ... We look like we're prepared for anything.

'But the reality is, we're just like you. We go to the same schools in this community. We attend the same churches. We eat at the same restaurants. We are just like you.' 

Allen, who had worked as a police officer since his early 20s, had recently got engaged.

Abilene's chief of police, Stan Standridge, described him as a 'great man and freat peace officer' who was dutiful and respected by his peers.

Standridge said: 'This family is heartbroken over the loss of their loved one, as is our police family. Parents should not have to bury their children, and this family certainly needs our love and prayers during this time.'

Allen is due to be buried later this week.

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Houston Sheriff's Deputy Shot & Killed While Pumping Gas. Suspect's Mother Turns Him In (Video/Pics) Would you turn your own child in?

Police with helicopters, dogs and armed with rifles were conducting a massive manhunt in northern Illinois Tuesday after an officer was shot and killed while pursuing a group of suspicious men.

The officer, who has not been identified publicly, radioed in to tell dispatchers he was chasing three men on foot in the city of Fox Lake, 55 miles north of Chicago. Communication with him was lost soon after, said Lake County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli.

"His backup arrived shortly thereafter and found him injured with a gunshot wound," Covelli said. "The officer has succumbed to his injuries and passed away."

Undersheriff Raymond Rose told the Chicago Tribune that the officer had also been stripped of his gun and other equipment.

Police and other law enforcement, some of them in military-style camouflage, were seen taking up positions on rooftops and along railroad tracks, scanning the terrain with rifle scopes and binoculars. Others leaned out of helicopters with weapons at the ready.

Nearby Grant Community High School was placed on hard lockdown with children and staff instructed to say hidden and away from windows.

"Grant continues to remain in a lockdown situation at the direction of the Fox Lake Police Department," the school said in an update on its website.

It said all students and staff were safe, with administrators going from room to room.

Authorities in Fox Lake have notified a number of other law enforcement agencies to ask for assistance, including the FBI, which is sending agents to help in the investigation. Cara Smith, chief strategist for the Cook County Sheriff's Department, said two bloodhounds from the department were taken to the heavily wooded county to assist in the search.

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A sheriff's deputy in uniform was shot and killed Friday night while filling up his patrol car at a suburban Houston gas station, according to authorities.

Deputy Darren Goforth, 47, was pumping gas into his vehicle about 8:30 p.m. Friday when a man approached him from behind and fired multiple shots, Harris County Sheriff's Office spokesman Ryan Sullivan told The Associated Press. Once the deputy fell to the ground, the suspect fired more shots.

Police described the suspect as a dark-complexioned male who is believed to be between 20 and 25 years old, and stands about 5-foot-10 to 6-feet tall. He was wearing a white T-shirt and red shorts and driving a red or maroon pickup-style truck with an extended cab. Police said an intensive search for the suspect remained ongoing Saturday morning.

Suspected shooter

No motive was determined for the shooting. Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman said Goforth, who was a 10-year veteran of the force, had a wife and two children.

"In my 45 years in law enforcement, I can't recall another incident so cold-blooded and cowardly," Hickman said.

Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman

Sheriff's office spokesman Deputy Thomas Gilliland said Goforth had traveled to the Chevron station where the shooting happened, after earlier responding to a routine car accident.

"He was pumping gas into his vehicle. and the male suspect came up behind him and shot the deputy multiple times," Gilliland told the Houston Chronicle (http://bit.ly/1JCEswB ). "The deputy fell to ground. the suspect came over and shot the deputy again multiple times as he lay on the ground."

He said Goforth died at the scene. Detectives were checking security camera video for possible clues.

"We are actively searching for suspect right now," Gilliland said. "I can tell you with diligence and justice the suspect will be caught. And he will be brought to justice ... This is a very callous individual."

Harris County Sheriff's deputies and homicide investigators joined officers from other agencies, including the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Houston Police Department, in searching for the suspect.

"This is a very tough moment right now for the Harris County Sheriffs Office," Gilliland said. "Keep us in your prayers and in your thoughts."

Bob Goerlitz, president of the Harris County Deputies Organization, said the incident was "shocking."

"We've been warned of things like this, because of public sentiment nationally and events over the last few years ... It's just horrific. That's the only way to describe it."

******** UPDATE ***********

At the end of a successful SWAT scene Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies captured the suspect for the murder of HCSO Deputy Darren Goforth. . He was taken into custody  at Pine Falls and Sunny Ridge in Northwest Harris County, We're told his mother assisted in leading investigators to her son.