Illinois Officer Shot With Own Weapon:  The lead investigator in the case of the fatal shooting of an Illinois officer last month announced Thursday that the officer was shot twice with his own weapon and evidence indicates signs of a struggle.  Don Babwin of the AP reports that it was also revealed that nine unidentified DNA samples were found at the scene, and detectives are analyzing more than 100 samples taken since the officer's death to identify the sources of some of those samples.  On September 1, 52-year-old Fox Lake police Lt. Charles Gliniewicz was found shot to death after he radioed that he was in pursuit of three suspicious men in a remote area, sparking a massive manhunt that turned up nothing.  Questions have surrounded the investigation after the county coroner said he was unable to definitively rule the manner of death a homicide, suicide or accident, but detectives emphasized that the investigation is being conducted "strictly" as a homicide probe.

SC Officer Fatally Shot at Mall:  A police officer was fatally shot responding to a report of a suspicious person at a South Carolina mall on Wednesday.  The AP reports that 32-year-old Forest Acres Officer Greg Alia and another officer responded to the call and attempted to talk to the suspect, who then fled on foot through the Richland Mall in suburban Columbia.  Officer Alia pursued and confronted the suspect, there was a struggle and he was shot, according to Forest Acres police Chief Gene Sealy.  The suspect is in custody and being questioned, but the department has yet to release details about his identity or the charges against him.  Alia was a seven-year veteran of the force whose wife had recently had a baby.

LA Convict Accidentally Released:  A Louisiana murderer who was accidentally released from prison last week is still at large, and the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Crime Stoppers have offered cash rewards for any information that leads to his capture.  Fox News reports that 32-year-old Benjueil Johnson, serving a 40-year sentence for manslaughter and being a felon in possession of a firearm, was mistakenly released on good behavior from Dixon Correctional Institute for prior charges on September 23 before being transferred to East Feliciana Parish jail to be booked on misdemeanor count of battery against a correctional officer.  After processing, Johnson was able to be post bond and walk free because the manslaughter conviction did not appear in his file.  Law enforcement was unaware of Johnson's release until Monday when someone who recognized him reported it.

MO's Juvenile Sex Offender Registry Challenged:  Attorneys for a 14-year-old Missouri juvenile who assaulted and attempted to rape his adult adoptive sister say that requiring him to register as a sex offender for life constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, contradicting the "rehabilitate and reintegrate" goal of the juvenile justice system.  Tony Rizzo of the Kansas City Star reports that the attorneys have filed an appeal for the juvenile, regarded only as S.C., arguing that juveniles should not be subjected to the same registration requirements as adult sex offenders.  However, the Missouri attorney general's office contests that they are within federal law in requiring certain juvenile offenders to register, citing the vicious nature of S.C.'s attempted rape on his 41-year-old sister.  The ACLU of Missouri has filed a brief in support of the juvenile, arguing that lifetime sex offender registration for juveniles increase their changes of recidivism by isolating them from important networks.  Nevertheless, appeals courts in the state "have found that sex offender registry laws are not criminal punishments, but are civil in nature and are designed with the 'rational basis' of giving the public information about individuals who pose a 'significant risk.'"