Natalia, TX: The mass shooting incident in Joliet had an unexpected turn after the suspect, Romeo Nance, killed himself in Texas.
Eight individuals were shot and killed in three different sites in Joliet over two days, and the suspect was discovered dead by a suspected suicide 1,200 miles away Monday night, according to authorities.
The mass killings in Jolirt prompted a manhunt by many law enforcement agencies, only to find the alleged self-inflicted gunshot death of 23-year-old Romeo Nance in Texas.
Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans stated at a news conference that the Will County Sheriff’s Office alerted his officers at 12:04 p.m. Monday about several persons found dead in two separate houses on the 2200 block of West Acres Road near Madison Street.
According to Evans, responding officers discovered seven persons shot to death in two houses.
Joliet police stated immediately after announcing the Monday gunshot killings that they were hunting for Nance. Nance was believed to be driving a red Toyota Camry, and his last known residence was on the same block of Acres Road, according to Evans. Evans stated that Nance knew the victims discovered at the two houses, and it was assumed that they were all related.
At 4:27 p.m. Sunday, the Will County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Pheasant Run Apartments, located off Pheasant Run Road in unincorporated Joliet Township, where they discovered a man bleeding on the ground from a gunshot wound. The 28-year-old man, who was originally from Nigeria and had been in the United States for roughly three years, was rushed to a local hospital and died.
The Will County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Toyosi I. Bakare, 28, of Joliet. A 42-year-old guy was wounded in the leg about ten minutes earlier in Joliet’s 200 block of Davis Street. The victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
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Deputies approached a house and knocked on the door. When they didn’t get a response, they realized the residents in the house across the street were related to those in the first house. The deputies discovered blood as they searched the houses for injured people.
Five persons were discovered dead in one residence at 2225 W. Acres Rd., and two in another at 2212 W. Acres Rd., according to the sheriff’s office.
On Monday evening, Joliet police announced a manhunt for Nance, warning that he was armed and dangerous. However, before the night was out, another horrifying twist in the story emerged.
Around 8:30 p.m. Monday, Joliet police heard that Nance had been apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Natalia, Texas, 30 miles southwest of San Antonio. Natalia, Texas, is 1,200 miles away from Joliet, which takes more than 18 hours to drive. Police in Joliet say Nance was located in a car at a Valero gas station.
According to Joliet police, Nance appears to have died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound during a confrontation with Texas police.
Nance’s prior arrest records revealed that he had been arrested for aggravated discharge of a weapon involving a lady. According to court records, Nance was out on bond in connection with the 2023 shooting and was still awaiting trial.
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