Romeo Nance: Suspected Illinois shooter found dead in search following spree that claimed 7 lives

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

JOLIET, ILLINOIS: A suspected shooter in Illinois was discovered deceased during a police search in the aftermath of a fatal series of shootings that claimed seven lives.

Law enforcement officials initiated a search for the suspect following the discovery of seven individuals shot to death in two homes on Monday.

The investigators had identified the suspect as 23-year-old Romeo Nance after finding the bodies of five victims in one home and two more in a nearby residence on West Acres Road Monday morning, as per msn.com.

Suspect Romeo Nance took his own life amid investigation

Late on Monday night, January 22, authorities reported that Romeo Nance had been located by US Marshals near Natalia, Texas. It is believed that Nance took his own life with a handgun following a confrontation with Texas law enforcement officials.

According to information from the Patch and court records, Nance faced charges approximately a year ago for attempting to shoot a woman multiple times.

Law enforcement found him near his residence, leading to his arrest after a brief struggle with officers. Nance was charged as part of Operation New Year’s Resolution and was released after posting $10,000 of a $100,000 bond, according to court documents.

What made Nance a suspect?

Officers, as part of an investigation into two Sunday shootings, were surveilling one of the homes, revealed Dan Jungles, the Deputy Chief of Special Operations for the Will County, Illinois Sheriff's Office during a press conference on Monday night.

Jungles explained that after receiving no response at the house they were watching, officers knocked on the door before noon on Monday and, suspecting a connection, proceeded to a nearby house.

Upon approaching the adjacent residence, they discovered signs of violence, prompting them to enter and search for potential injuries.

Although details about the victims were not immediately released, Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans informed reporters that the victims were related.

He described the scene as one of the worst crime scenes he has encountered in his 29 years as a policeman. 

Jungles disclosed that the victims were known to Romeo Nance, the suspected perpetrator. Nance's last known address was in the vicinity where the crimes were discovered, according to authorities.

Earlier reports mentioned that Nance was believed to be driving a red Toyota Camry, a vehicle also linked to two shootings in Joliet on Sunday.

One of these incidents involved a fatality at Pheasant Run Apartments, where 28-year-old Toyosi Bakare sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the head.

Responding to another call an hour before, Joliet Police found a 42-year-old man with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his leg on the 200 block of Davis Street.

Surveillance on the West Acres Road home commenced after authorities learned that the Camry was associated with the address.

Detectives identified 23-year-old Romeo Nance as a suspect in the West Acres Road homicides and linked him to a fatal shooting investigated by the Will County Sheriff’s Office and a non-fatal shooting in Joliet, both occurring on January 21, 2024. 

Joliet Police Chief Evans stated that the investigation is ongoing, with no determined motive, but he believes there is some correlation with the Sunday shootings.