Romeo Nance Joliet shooting: Victims identified as police search for motive in ‘random’ murder spree

A day after Romeo Nance, the prime suspect in the Joliet shooting spree that killed eight people, was found dead in Texas with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police revealed the names of the victims.

Romeo Nance, 23, is accused of shooting eight people across four separate crime scenes in Joliet, located approximately 50 km from Chicago on Sunday, January 21. The manhunt for Nance began on Sunday, January 21, after he was identified as a suspect in two random shootings in Joliet, one of which left 28-year-old Toyosi Bakare dead.

Shortly after, during surveillance on Nance’s home, authorities reportedly found seven people dead in two different residences. Nance reportedly lived in one of two homes where the victims, who were related to each other, were found dead.

ABC 7 Chicago citing a press conference on Tuesday, reported Romeo Nance who died nearly 1,200 miles from where the murders took place, was related to most of the people he targeted at two homes, but the motive for the ‘random’ spree of killings remains unknown.

The victims have been identified as Christine Esters, 38, Tameka Nance, 47, William Esters II, 35, Joshua Nance, 31, Alexandria Nance, 20, a 16-year-old girl and 14-year-old girl who were unnamed due to their age.

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Romeo Nance killed seven people in two homes before targeting other two people in Joliet

In a press conference on Tuesday, Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans revealed Romeo Nance had an extensive criminal history before noting authorities are still searching for a motive in a case that he described as a "very complicated and active investigation.”

Evans said two of the shootings, one on Davis Street and one on Pheasant Run Lane, that triggered a manhunt for the suspect on Sunday "appear to be more random in nature" than the shootings, in which he targeted several relatives including five women.

Authorities believe the suspect first killed seven people in the two homes before carrying out two other shootings that left one dead. Evans said that they do not know why Nance made a run to Texas after the shooting as he does not have any relatives in the state.

"We can't get inside his head. We just don't have any idea any clue as to why he did what he did," said Evans.

Evans said U.S. Marshals located Nance southwest of San Antonio, in Natalia, Texas, on Monday night. Nance, who supposedly stopped at a Texas mall and was able to get his hands on Texas license plates, later had a confrontation with police at a gas station. During the encounter, he reportedly died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police said on Tuesday they may never know the motive behind the crimes but asked anyone with information to contact them.