Numerous shootings unfolded in Joliet, Illinois, resulting in eight fatalities and nine individuals injured, marking what authorities are terming the “reign of terror” orchestrated by the 23-year-old deceased suspect, Romeo Nance.
In a press conference held on Tuesday, Joliet Police and Will County Sheriff’s officials provided updates on the extended homicide investigation that culminated with Nance taking his own life from a self-inflicted gunshot wound outside a gas station in Natalia, Texas, following a police standoff.
According to authorities, Nance’s alleged shootings occurred on Sunday, Jan. 21, in Joliet, with four separate incidents reported. “Most” of the seven victims killed at two homes in Joliet were said to be related to Nance. Additionally, two male victims were shot, one fatally, at nearby locations.
Despite intensive investigation efforts, a motive for the string of killings remains elusive. “We may never know the truth or motives,” stated Dan Jungles, the chief deputy of criminal investigations at the Will County Sheriff’s Office during the press conference. Authorities disclosed that the victims included a 14-year-old girl, a 16-year-old girl, a 20-year-old woman, a 38-year-old woman, a 38-year-old man, a 47-year-old woman, a 35-year-old man, and a 28-year-old man.
At least one of the shootings was caught on camera.
The incident concluded with Nance taking his own life through a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Texas, as confirmed by the police on Monday night after an extensive search for the suspect. The community now grapples with the aftermath of the tragedy.
