Illinois police are searching for an “armed and dangerous” suspect after seven family members were found shot to death in two Joliet homes on Monday and another man was killed on Sunday.
The suspect, Romeo Nance, 23, was still at large Monday evening and was believed to be driving a red Toyota Camry with license plate number Q730412.
The Will Country Sheriff's Office began investigating Nance after two shootings Sunday in which a 28-year-old man was fatally shot and another man was shot in the leg but survived.
They conducted surveillance Sunday evening at an address linked to Nance's car in the 2200 block of West Acres Road, but when he didn't return, they knocked on the door and then forced entry to find “multiple” deceased people .
Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans said the dead were “family members” and that two were found in one home while five were found in another home across the street.
He said: “I've been a police officer for 29 years, this is probably the worst crime scene I've ever been associated with.”
Illinois police are searching Romeo Nance, who they say is “armed and dangerous.”
Two people were found dead in a home in Joliet, while five were found dead in another home on the same block
Will County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Dan Jungles said they had been working on the investigation since Sunday when they were called to a report of a man bleeding from the head at 5 Pheasant Run Lane.
He said: “Our officers searched this area for a person who had blood coming from their head and when they arrived at the department they discovered a gunshot wound.”
“He was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.”
The man was later identified as 28-year-old Toyosi Bakare, who is originally from Nigeria and has been living in the United States for about three years.
Department Chief Jungles said they quickly identified the vehicle and discovered it was connected to another non-fatal shooting in Joliet.
He said officers set up “constant surveillance” near an address associated with the vehicle at 2200 West Acres at midnight Sunday, but it “yielded negative results.”
After Nance or the car failed to show up, Department Chief Jungles said, “Shortly before noon this morning, our officers then went to a residence, found blood, made an entry where they found two people deceased.”
“Our officers went to one of the residences, knocked on the door first and when they got no response, they knew the house across the street was related to the people in that house.”
“I ran there and that’s when they discovered the blood and broke into the house to look for these people.”
“We monitored it throughout the evening and into this morning, constant monitoring, hoping that the vehicle would return to that residence, which it did not.”
“And that’s when we decided to contact the registered owner of the vehicle.”
Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans said it was the “worst” crime scene he had seen in his 29-year career
Deputy Chief Dan Jungles said they had been monitoring the homes since midnight Sunday
Joliet police said, “Nance should be considered armed and dangerous.”
Anyone with information regarding Nance and this vehicle is asked to contact local law enforcement.
“The information remains fluid and constantly changing throughout the course of this investigation,” police said.
At 1:50 p.m. Monday, police closed West Acres Road between Madison Street and Springfield Avenue to investigate when they discovered the bodies.
Police confirmed in an update at 3 p.m. that several people had died and they were looking for Nance – they initially did not want to give a number.
On Sunday, a red Toyota Camry with the same license plate was found to be involved in two shootings.
The Will County Sheriff's Office responded to the Pheasant Run Apartments on Pheasant Run Road in the unincorporated community of Joliet in reference to a shooting on Sunday at approximately 4:27 p.m.
Police found a male victim on the ground bleeding from an apparent gunshot wound to the head.
He later died.
The victim was identified as Toyosi Bakare, 28, originally from Nigeria, who has been living in the United States for approximately three years.
Police are searching for a red Toyota Camry that was seen near the scenes of two other shootings on Sunday
Police said Nance was believed to be driving a red Toyota Camry with license plate number Q730412
On Sunday, a red Toyota Camry with the same license plate was found to be involved in two shootings
About ten minutes before Bakare was shot, another man was shot in the leg and was injured but did not die.
The Will County Sheriff's Office worked with Joliet police on both crimes.
They say the victims of Sunday's shootings are not connected to each other or to the victims of Monday's shootings and “appear to be random in nature.”
Nance was arrested by Joliet police back in 2023 after he allegedly attempted to shoot a woman multiple times.
The 36-year-old woman was driving when a black four-door sedan started honking at her. The driver then pulled up next to her and threw a water bottle at her before following her car and pointing a gun at her.
He then allegedly shot the woman several times, but did not hit her, before speeding away.
Police identified Nance as a suspect, found him near his home and arrested him after a brief struggle.
He was charged with aggravated discharge of a weapon, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, aggravated assault, reckless discharge of a firearm and obstructing a peace officer.
However, he was released after posting $10,000 of a $100,000 bond on March 10, 2023, according to court documents viewed by WGN9, and was due back in court on February 1.
He was also jailed aged 19 and charged with two counts of robbery, two counts of theft and one count of illegal cannabis possession.