On January 21, 2024, the quiet city of Joliet, Illinois, was shaken by a horrific mass shooting that claimed eight lives and injured another. The man responsible, 23-year-old Romeo Nance, shocked the entire community when he went on a violent spree that ended over 1,000 miles away in Texas. What made this case even more disturbing was that most of the victims were Nance’s own family members.
The violence started in the late afternoon. Around 4:15 p.m., Nance was driving a red Toyota Camry on Davis Street in Joliet. He came across a 42-year-old man and after a short interaction, Nance left. But he soon circled back and shot the man in the leg. The victim, fortunately, survived the attack. According to CBS News, this was the beginning of a series of violent actions that would span multiple locations.
Only about ten minutes later, Nance showed up at the Pheasant Run Apartments in Joliet Township. There, he shot 28-year-old Toyosi Bakare in the head. Bakare, who had moved to the U.S. from Nigeria three years earlier was rushed to the hospital but did not survive.
After identifying Nance and his vehicle through security footage, police began monitoring his home on West Acres Road. Hours later, they noticed blood outside the house. Officers went in and found two people dead inside: Tameka Nance, Romeo’s mother, and William Esters II, his uncle.
But the horror didn’t stop there.
Recommended
Police decided to check another home on the same block, also connected to Nance’s family. Inside, they found five more bodies. The victims included Christine Esters, 38; Joshua Nance, 31; Alexandria Nance, 20; and two teenage girls, ages 16 and 14. All had been fatally shot.
The Will County Coroner later confirmed the identities of most of the victims. Although the names of the two teenage girls weren’t immediately released, officials stated that they were also family members.
After the bodies were found, law enforcement launched a massive manhunt. With help from U.S. Marshals, they tracked Nance to Natalia, Texas, more than 1,000 miles from Joliet. According to CNN, officers found him near a gas station. When they approached, Nance took his own life with a gunshot wound before they could arrest him.
The case has left authorities and community members looking for answers. So far, there is no known motive for why Nance committed these violent acts. Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans said during a press conference “We can’t get inside his head. We just don’t have any clue as to why he did what he did.”
Even though Nance had a long criminal history, none of it seemed to suggest something like this would happen. Dan Jungles, chief deputy at the Will County Sheriff’s Office told ABC News, “We may never know the truth or motives.”
Surveillance footage gave police a closer look at the first shooting on Davis Street, showing the red Camry and what led up to the attack. But the most disturbing scenes were inside the homes on West Acres Road.
Officers who entered described the scene as horrific. Chief Evans said, “I’ve been a policeman for 29 years, and this is the worst crime scene I’ve ever been associated with.”
Both the Joliet Police Department and the Will County Sheriff’s Office are still investigating. They’ve described the case as “very complicated and active,” and they’re asking anyone with information to come forward.
This event has deeply affected the people of Joliet. Neighbors and friends of the victims have shared their heartbreak. Some have left flowers and candles outside the homes while others are struggling to understand how something so tragic could happen so close to home.
Authorities say it is now the deadliest mass shooting in Illinois history. Even as they work to collect all the facts, many believe that the full story behind what drove Romeo Nance to carry out such violence may never be known.
This article is based entirely on information reported by the multiple reputable news sources as cited. No opinions, interpretations, or unverified claims have been added. Our writers carefully researched these sources to deliver an accurate and factual report.
