JOLIET, IL – A man suspected of fatally shooting seven people in two different Illinois homes was found dead in Texas, having turned the gun on himself after a standoff with law enforcement.
The suspect, 23-year-old Romeo Nance, was located by U.S. Marshals near Natalia, Texas, around 8:30 p.m. on Monday. According to the Joliet Police Department in Illinois, Nance ended his life with a handgun. His discovery followed a manhunt initiated after seven shooting victims were found earlier that day.
The Will County Coroner’s Office is set to confirm the identities of the victims and the circumstances of their deaths, as stated by the Joliet Police. The investigation into these events is ongoing.
On Monday, shortly after noon, Joliet police officers responded to a call from the Will County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies had discovered multiple deceased individuals in two residences on West Acres Road during a homicide investigation.
At 2212 West Acres Road, evidence of a possible crime scene led deputies to five individuals who seemed to have died from gunshot wounds. Shortly thereafter, two more individuals with similar wounds were found at a second possible crime scene at 2225 West Acres Road.
Nance, who was known to the victims and believed to be related to them, was quickly identified as a suspect. He was also suspected to be the gunman in two other shootings that occurred on Sunday.
In one incident, deputies responded to a call from an apartment complex, where they found a man, later identified as 28-year-old Toyosi Bakare, with a fatal gunshot wound to the head. Bakare, originally from Nigeria, had been residing in the U.S. for almost three years.
In a separate incident that occurred ten minutes prior, a 42-year-old man was shot in the leg, sustaining non-life-threatening injuries.
Authorities believe that Nance used the same vehicle in both Sunday’s shootings and Monday’s homicides. Court records show that Nance had been charged a year prior for attempting to shoot a woman. He was arrested near his home after a brief altercation with police officers.