Who is Romeo Nance? Suspect in 8 Illinois Murders Dies in Texas

A suspected gunman being hunted by police in Illinois is believed to have fatally shot himself during a stand-off with cops at a gas station in Texas, authorities said.

An existing manhunt for Romeo Nance, 23, was ramped-up after the discovery of bodies at two houses—believed to be family members who were known to Nance—on Monday. At that time, he was the prime suspect after a body was discovered at a home in the Chicago suburb of Will County on Sunday. He was also suspected of being involved in a separate non-fatal shooting that same day.

Police began watching an address on West Acres Road in Joliet, Illinois, on Monday during what was supposed to be a surveillance stakeout for Nance at his last known address. They were also aware of a link between that home and another on the same block. But when Nance failed to show up, officers entered both homes to find five bodies in one and two bodies in the other. All of the victims had been shot.

Speaking at a press briefing outside the homes on Monday, Joliet Police Chief William Evans said: “I’ve been a policeman 29 years and this is probably the worst crime scene I’ve ever been associated with.”

The FBI joined the search for Nance, while Joliet Police Department released the suspect’s photo on Monday along with images of a red Toyota Camry he was believed to be driving. Nance was described as 6ft 2in tall, weighing around 160 pounds, and “should be regarded as armed and dangerous,” an alert posted on the Joliet Police Department Facebook page said.

Police also shared details on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, as they tried to track down the fugitive.

A lengthy update posted on Facebook late on Monday night revealed that the manhunt had ended with the apparent self-inflicted death of Nance more than 1,000 miles away near Natalia, Texas.

The bloody end to the search took place on the forecourt of a Chubby’s gas station, with photos of the cordoned-off scene showing a red Toyota Camry behind the police cordon.

Discussing their previous attempt to apprehend Nance in Joliet, police explained that deputies had gone to a property to assist the Will County Sheriff’s Office, who were investigating the killing on Sunday. The statement said: “It was determined that while Deputies were on the scene, they discovered evidence of a possible crime scene at a residence at 2212 West Acres Road. Deputies made entry into the residence and located five individuals that appeared to be deceased from gunshot wounds.

“A short time later, Deputies discovered another possible crime scene at 2225 West Acres Road and made entry into this home as well, locating two individuals also deceased from gunshot wounds[…]

“During this investigation, Detectives quickly identified 23-year-old Romeo Nance as a suspect in the homicides on West Acres Road and it was believed that he was also involved in a fatal shooting being investigated by the Will County Sheriff’s Office as well as a non-fatal shooting in Joliet. Both of these shootings took place on January 21, 2024[…]

“At approximately 8:30 PM this evening [Monday], the Joliet Police Department learned that Nance had been located by US Marshals near Natalia, Texas at which time it is believed that Nance took his own life with a handgun following a confrontation with Texas law enforcement officials.”

None of the victims found in the two Joliet homes have yet been publicly identified and the case “remains an active investigation,” police said.

The non-fatal shooting involved a 42-year-old man who was shot in the leg on Sunday. The victim who was killed in Will County has been identified as 28-year-old Toyosi Bakare, who was originally from Nigeria and had been living in the U.S. for three years. It remains unclear if he was known to Nance.

Will County Sheriff’s Office deputy chief Dan Jungles said his deputies were called out to 5 Pheasant Run Lane to attend the stricken man, adding: “Our officers responded to that area for a person found with blood coming out of his head and upon deputies arrival they located a gunshot wound. He was transported to a local area hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.”

Local news channel ABC 7 reported that Nance had a lengthy criminal record and had been arrested a year ago for a string of felony gun charges. It was unclear if he was currently out on bond for those charges, according to the report.

The latest incident comes amid a spate of gun crime across the nation that has sparked a fierce debate about gun control, left politicians unable to present answers on how to address the problem, and led to multiple countries issuing warnings to their citizens considering traveling to the U.S.

Less than a month into the new year, the Gun Violence Archive, a database that collects information about shootings across the country, has calculated that 2,433 people have died after being shot in the U.S. so far this year, although that figure also includes suicides and accidental deaths.