Suspect in killings of 8 people in Chicago area has died in Texas, police say

Originally Published: 22 JAN 24 22:30 ET Updated: 23 JAN 24 08:07 ET By Joe Sutton, Melissa Alonso and Jennifer Feldman, CNN

(CNN) — The man suspected of killing eight people in Chicago-area shootings has died after turning a gun on himself following a confrontation with federal law enforcement, police said.

Romeo Nance, 23, was found Monday by US Marshals near Natalia, Texas – more than 1,000 miles from where seven victims were found shot to death Sunday in two homes in the south Chicago suburb of Joliet, according to the Joliet Police Department. Authorities believe Nance is also linked to a Will County, Illinois, shooting that left a 28-year-old dead, Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans said Monday.

Nance shot himself with a handgun after being confronted by officials, police said.

Investigators have yet to determine Nance’s motive, but the suspect knew seven of the victims, who are believed to be from the same family, Evans said. The victims have not been publicly identified.

At a separate scene in Will County, deputies found a person “with blood coming out of his head, and upon deputy’s arrival, they located a gunshot wound,” Will County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief of Operations Dan Jungles said.

Jungles said the victim, 28-year-old Toyosi Bakare, was taken to a hospital and died of his injuries. Bakare was from Nigeria and had been living in Will County, which includes Joliet, for three years, Jungles said.

Nance’s car – a red Toyota Camry – was seen at the scene and the sheriff’s department began to surveil Nance’s last-known address, hoping to find the vehicle, Jungles said.

After no sign of Nance or his car, deputies knocked on the door of a home, but received no response, Jungle said at a news conference.

“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.

At the second home, deputies saw blood on the door and entered to find two dead victims, he said. Five more victims were found in the first home, though it is unclear how long they had been dead, he said.

“I’ve been a policeman 29 years. This is probably the worst crime scene I’ve ever been associated with,” Evans said at the news conference.

Nance is also believed to be connected to another shooting on Sunday, according to authorities.

CNN’s Elizabeth Wolfe contributed to this report.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.