OAN’s Brooke Mallory
5:16 PM – Tuesday, January 23, 2024
After a run-in with federal law enforcement, Romeo Nance, the man accused of killing eight people and injuring a ninth in shootings in Joliet, Illinois, turned his firearm on himself and ended his own life, according to authorities in Texas.
Advertisement
Nance, 23, was discovered by U.S. Marshals on Monday close to Natalia, Texas, which is more than 1,000 miles away from the scene of the Sunday shooting which took the lives of eight people in two homes in Joliet, Illinois, a south Chicago suburb, according to the Joliet Police Department.
Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans announced on Monday that Nance is thought to be connected to another shooting incident in Will County, Illinois, which also claimed the life of a 28-year-old.
After being confronted by authorities, Nance shot himself with a firearm, according to the police press release.
Although Nance’s motivation for the murders is unknown, Chief Evans stated that the suspect knew seven of the victims, who are thought to be related. The victims’ names are not known to the general public.
Deputy Chief of Operations for the Will County Sheriff’s Office, Dan Jungles, stated that deputies responded to a different site in Will County where they discovered an individual “with blood coming out of his head, and upon the deputy’s arrival, they located a gunshot wound.”
According to Jungles, the victim, Toyosi Bakare, 28, was brought to a hospital before passing away from his severe injuries. Jungles said that Bakare had been residing in Will County, which encompasses Joliet, for around three years. He was originally from Nigeria.
After Nance’s red Toyota Camry was last spotted at the scene of the crime, the sheriff’s office began surveilling Nance’s last-known address in an effort to locate the vehicle, according to Jungles.
Jungles went on to say that during a press briefing, deputies knocked on a home’s door without receiving any response after failing to find any trace of Nance or his car.
“When they received no response, they knew the house across the street was related to the individuals that resided at that house, and they walked over there,” Jungle said.
He also said that when deputies entered the second residence after noticing blood on the door, they discovered two deceased victims. Jungles went on to explain that there were five additional fatalities discovered in the first house, however it is not known how long they had been dead.
“I’ve been a policeman 29 years. This is probably the worst crime scene I’ve ever been associated with,” Evans said.
Nance is said to have a lengthy criminal past, but the police did not provide any further information. On Tuesday, authorities stated that they might never discover the motive for the crimes in situations such as these.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts