A man suspected of shooting and killing eight people in suburban Chicago over the weekend, identified as 23-year-old Romeo Nance, was related to most of the victims, according to authorities. Nance fatally shot himself during a confrontation with law enforcement in Texas. The timeline of the shootings suggests that all eight victims and a ninth person who was wounded were shot on Sunday. The authorities have not found evidence of a motive yet for the killings, and the relationships between Nance and the victims are still being determined.
The victims found at the Joliet homes were identified as Christine Esters (38), Tamaeka Nance (47), William Esters II (35), Joshua Nance (31), Alexandria Nance (20), and two teenage girls aged 14 and 16. A man killed outside an apartment building was identified as Toyosi Bakare (28), originally from Nigeria. Nance fled the area after the shootings and was located near Natalia, Texas, where he fatally shot himself during a confrontation with law enforcement.
The shootings in Joliet represent the fourth mass killing in the U.S. this year, as defined by a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today. Authorities in Illinois and Texas are investigating the circumstances surrounding the shootings and Nance’s death. The motive for the killings remains unknown, and investigators are grappling with the aftermath of one of the worst crime scenes described by Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans, who stated, “I’ve been a policeman 29 years, and this is probably the worst crime scene I’ve ever been associated with.”