Illinois mass shooting suspect dies in Texas — police

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - WASHINGTON — A gunman suspected of killing eight people in the city of Joliet, Illinois, has died after a confrontation with law enforcement officials, police say.

Police in Joliet said Romeo Nance, 23, is believed to have fatally shot himself after the confrontation near Natalia, Texas.

He is suspected of killing eight people at multiple locations in Joliet.

Seven of the victims were found in two nearby houses by police on Monday. The eighth was found earlier on Sunday.

The discovery of the bodies sparked a manhunt for the suspect, who authorities warned "should be regarded as armed and dangerous".

In a statement, Joliet police department said Nance had been located by US Marshals near Natalia at approximately 20:30 local time on Monday (2:30 GMT on Tuesday).

At that point, it said, "it is believed that Nance took his own life with a handgun following a confrontation with Texas law enforcement officials."

It added: "Identification of the victims and manner of death will be determined by the Will County Coroner's Office. This remains an active investigation."

Earlier, Joliet police chief Bill Evans told a news briefing that police were notified at 12:04 local time on Monday that several people had been found shot dead.

After arriving at the scene on West Acres Road, officers discovered seven bodies. Five were found in one house, and two in the other, Will County Sheriff's deputy chief Dan Jungles said. It is believed they were all part of the same family.

The motive for the attack was not immediately clear, but the suspect is believed to have known the victims.

"I've been a policeman 25 years. This is probably the worst crime scene I've ever been associated with," Jungles said.

Before Nance was located in Texas, investigators said they believed he was driving a red Toyota Camry and had urged anyone with information about the attack, 40 miles (64km) south-west of Chicago, to contact them.

Separately, authorities said they had been notified of two shootings a day earlier at different locations in Joliet.

They said a car with the same number plate as the one linked to the discovery of the seven bodies on Monday was spotted in both locations.

One of the shootings resulted in the death of a 28-year-old man, who was shot in the head, authorities said.

He was identified by police as Toyosi Bakare, who was originally from Nigeria and had been living in the US for the past three years.

Police said a 42-year-old man was shot in the leg at a separate location earlier that day, resulting in non-life threatening injuries. — BBC