Seven people were fatally shot at two homes across the street from each other in Joliet, Illinois, a city about 35 miles southwest of Chicago, and police are searching for a suspect who they believe also played a role in another fatal shooting, authorities said Monday night.
Authorities are searching for a suspect who they consider armed and dangerous. Romeo Nance, 23, is driving a red Toyota Camry with Illinois plate number Q730412, Joliet Police Department chief said.
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 that vehicle 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.
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.”
“Anyone with information regarding Nance and this vehicle is encouraged to contact their local law enforcement agency,” the Joliet department said in a statement.
The Will County Sheriff’s Office said the Camry is a “suspect vehicle” seen in the proximity of back-to-back shootings late Sunday afternoon. Joliet is within Will County.
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 an exact cause and manner 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 somehow 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.
