Romeo Nance : “Accomplice Charged in Mass Shooting: 8 Dead”

Romeo Nance, right inset, allegedly killed eight people, including seven of his own family members in a shooting back in January in Joliet, Illinois. On May 31, his alleged accomplice, Jon Hansen, left inset, was charged with murder. (Mug shots: Will County Sheriff; Screenshot: WFLD/YouTube)

The individual who was present with a perpetrator during a tragic incident that resulted in the loss of eight lives, including seven relatives earlier this year in Illinois, now faces legal repercussions, according to law enforcement authorities.

Accomplice Charged with Multiple Offenses

Jon W. Hansen, aged 24, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and aggravated battery with a firearm, as announced by the Will County Sheriff’s Office on Friday. Investigators allege that Hansen confessed to being with the shooter, Romeo Nance, during at least one of the fatal incidents that occurred during the January rampage in Joliet, a suburb of Chicago.

Law enforcement officers responded to a shooting report at Pheasant Run Apartments on 5 Pheasant Run Road in Joliet Township around 4:30 p.m. on January 21. Upon arrival, they discovered a man later identified as 28-year-old Toyosi Bakare, who had sustained a gunshot wound to the eye. Bakare was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced deceased. Subsequent investigations revealed another shooting that occurred shortly before in the City of Joliet involving a red Toyota, believed to be the suspect vehicle.

After reviewing surveillance footage of the incident at Pheasant Run Apartments, which captured a red Toyota entering and leaving the complex, authorities linked the same vehicle to the suspect. Investigators later identified the red Toyota Camry with Illinois license plate Q73 0412 as the vehicle driven by Nance. Upon visiting the registered owner’s residence in the 2200 block of West Acres, law enforcement officers discovered two deceased individuals. Further search within the vicinity led to the discovery of five more deceased individuals in a neighboring property belonging to Nance’s family.

Arrest and Confessions

By approximately 6 p.m. on the same day, authorities received information that Nance was travelling along I-35 in the San Antonio, Texas area. Subsequently, the U.S. Marshals Service and local law enforcement officials located Nance at a gas station in Natalia, Texas, over 1,000 miles away from Joliet. Nance fled from his vehicle and was later found deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, which was determined to be the same weapon used in the fatal shooting of Bakare.

Following the events, investigators interviewed Hansen on January 27, during which he allegedly admitted to being present with Nance during some of the tragic incidents. Hansen confessed to witnessing Nance fatally shoot Bakare and injure another individual in a separate shooting, further disclosing that he disposed of the firearm used in the non-fatal incident in the DuPage River near his residence at Nance’s direction.

On February 5, divers retrieved the pistol from the riverbed using a magnet while conducting a search. Hansen was subsequently arrested on Friday and remanded to the Will County Adult Detention Center where he is presently held without bond.

Victims of the Tragedy

The other victims of the shooting spree were all members of Nance’s family. According to Chicago’s Fox affiliate WFLD, the deceased individuals are:

• Tameka Nance, aged 47, mother
• Christine Esters, aged 38, aunt
• William Esters II, aged 35, uncle
• Joshua Nance, aged 31, brother
• Alexandria Nance, aged 20, sister
• 16-year-old sister
• 14-year-old sister

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