US Gunman Kills Self After Shooting 7 Dead In 2 Homes Near Chicago

A man shot seven people to death before killing himself with a handgun in the US, the authorities said on Tuesday.

The shooting took place at two different homes in Joliet, Illinois and the suspect was identified as Romeo Nance, the police said.

While five people were found dead with gunshot wounds at a residence at 2212 West Acres Road, two other bodies were recovered from a house at 2225 West Acres Road, the Joliet Police Department said in a press statement.

Both of these shootings took place on January 21, 2024, the police said.

"During this investigation, detectives quickly identified 23-year-old Romeo Nance as a suspect in the homicides on West Acres Road and it was believed that he was also involved in a fatal shooting being investigated by the Will County Sheriff's Office as well as a non-fatal shooting in Joliet," the police said.

"At approximately 8:30 PM this evening (local time), the Joliet Police Department learned that Nance had been located by US Marshals near Natalia, Texas at which time it is believed that Nance took his own life with a handgun following a confrontation with Texas law enforcement officials," the police added.

They said that the identification of the victims and manner of death will be determined by the Will County Coroner's Office.

The US is struggling with a large number of mass shootings and incidents of gun violence.

According to data collected by the Gun Violence Archive, which reports American gun violence incidents, there have been over 875 gun deaths in the first three weeks of this year.