A man suspected of committing a series of shootings in suburban Chicago, resulting in the deaths of eight individuals and the injury of another, has been found dead in Texas. According to the police, the suspect, identified as 23-year-old Romeo Nance, took his own life after encountering law enforcement officials in Natalia, Texas, located approximately 35 miles (56 km) southwest of San Antonio.

The manhunt for Nance began after he allegedly shot and killed one man and injured another in two separate incidents in the Chicago area on Sunday. The ongoing search led the authorities to discover two additional crime scenes in Joliet, Illinois on Monday. Shockingly, seven members of one family were found shot to death in two adjacent houses.

While the motive behind these shootings remains unknown, Joliet Police Chief William Evans stated that investigators believe Nance was familiar with the victims at the two Joliet residences. Chief Evans, who has been serving as a police officer for 29 years, described the crime scene as the most harrowing he has encountered throughout his career.

The Joliet Police Department received information late Monday night that U.S. marshals had located Nance in south-central Texas near Natalia. It is believed that Nance used a handgun to take his own life following a confrontation with Texas law enforcement officials. The details surrounding the circumstances and sequence of events leading up to the killings in Illinois remain unclear at this time.

Authorities have identified the first victim of the shooting spree as a 28-year-old immigrant from Nigeria who had been residing in the U.S. for approximately three years. Following the initial shooting, deputies conducted an overnight stakeout at Nance’s last known address in Joliet, which had been registered as the suspected getaway vehicle’s owner.

After discovering blood outside one of Nance’s residences, officers gained entry into both properties, located across the street from each other. Tragically, they found five individuals dead from gunshot wounds in one house, and two in the other, bringing the total number of deaths across the three crime scenes to eight. Additionally, a 42-year-old man sustained injuries in a separate “random” shooting in Joliet on Sunday, which authorities believe is connected to Nance’s vehicle.