A man sought in connection with eight fatal shootings, including the killing of seven people at two homes in Joliet, Illinois, has died after shooting himself following a confrontation with U.S. marshals in Texas, some 1,200 miles away.
Romeo Nance, 23, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound with a handgun at 8:30 p.m. (9:30 p.m. ET) after he was located near Natalia, outside San Antonio, police said.
Nance had been named as a suspect in the seven fatal shootings, which occurred in Joliet, about 35 miles southwest of Chicago, and authorities said police believe he also played a role in another shooting.
Police did not provide any details about the identities of the seven victims found in the homes.
Two victims were discovered Monday while Will County Sheriff's deputies went to look for Nance's red Toyota Camry in connection with a pair of shootings on Sunday, including one in which a man was killed. They went to Nance's last known residence, but nobody answered, authorities said.
The deputies then went to a nearby residence because they knew occupants of both homes were related, sheriff's Deputy Chief Dan Jungles said.
Police had appealed for information on the suspect's whereabouts but warned that he was "armed and dangerous."
They discovered two victims in that home. Five others were found in the home deputies had gone to initially, Jungles said.
NBC Chicago reported that the homes faced each other on opposite sides of the road.
Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans said the two scenes in the 2200 block of West Acres Road were the most grotesque he’s seen.
“I’ve been a policeman for 29 years,” he said, “and this probably the worst crime scene I’ve been associated with.”
Identification of the victims, as well as manner of death, will be made by the Will County Coroner’s Office, Joliet police said. Joliet is within Will County.
Police in Joliet said they were informed at around 8:30 p.m. Monday that Nance had been found by the Marshals Service in Texas and that he had shot himself.
"This remains an active investigation," Joliet police said in a statement.
In one of the Sunday attacks, a 28-year-old man described as a Nigerian immigrant was found shot in the head outdoors at an apartment complex in Joliet Township, which is patrolled by the sheriff's office. He was declared dead at a hospital, it said.
The victim was identified late Monday afternoon by the Will County Coroner's Office as Toyosi I. Bakare. It said he was "the apparent victim of a homicide," but added that an exact cause and manner of death were still forthcoming.
In the other Sunday shooting, about 10 minutes earlier, a 42-year-old man was shot in a leg and hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, the sheriff's office said. He was not identified.
Jungles described Nance as a suspect in both attacks.
Authorities said the attacks on Sunday and Monday are connected. They said they didn't want to compromise their investigation by releasing too many details.
"He does know the victims," Evans said, speaking of Nance and Monday's victims.
A motive was not available.
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