Tameaka Nance, a 47-year-old Black woman and registered nurse, was one of eight people killed in a mass shooting on January 21, 2024, in and around Joliet, Illinois. The tragedy unfolded across several locations and was carried out by her 23-year-old son, Romeo Nance. The full scope of the violence became clear to authorities over a period of two days.
The series of events began that Sunday afternoon. Police believe Romeo Nance first shot seven members of his family inside two homes on West Acres Road. In one house, authorities would later find Tameaka and her brother, William Esters II, 35. Across the street, they discovered the bodies of Tameaka’s sister, Christine Esters, 38, and Tameaka’s other children: Joshua Nance, 31; Alexandria Nance, 20; Alonnah Nance, 16; and Angel Nance, 14. All seven had been fatally shot. Following the family killings, Nance allegedly drove to Davis Street and shot 42-year-old Mario Guerrero in the leg; Guerrero survived.
About ten minutes later, Nance is believed to have randomly shot and killed 28-year-old Toyosi Bakare, a man originally from Nigeria, at the Pheasant Run Apartments complex.
Investigators connected the shootings through surveillance footage of the suspect's red Toyota Camry. While investigating the shootings of Guerrero and Bakare, deputies set up surveillance at Romeo Nance’s last known address on West Acres Road. After about 12 hours with no sign of him, they approached the home, saw blood outside, and went in, discovering the bodies of Tameaka Nance and William Esters. This led them to check the related family home across the street, where they found the other five deceased relatives. Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans later called it the "worst crime scene I've ever been associated with."
A manhunt for Romeo Nance ended the following day, January 22, 2024, when U.S. Marshals located him at a gas station near Natalia, Texas, about 1,200 miles from Joliet. As law enforcement officials confronted him, Nance took his own life with a handgun. The motive for the killings remains unknown. "We can't get inside his head," Chief Evans said. "We just don’t have any clue as to why he did what he did."
Two other people were arrested in connection with the crimes. Kyleigh Cleveland-Singleton, Nance’s 21-year-old girlfriend and the mother of his young son, was charged with felony obstruction of justice for allegedly providing false information to investigators to prevent Nance's apprehension. In May 2024, police also arrested Jon Hansen, 24, of Shorewood. He was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and aggravated battery with a firearm.
With the primary suspect deceased, the case against him was closed. According to reports from October 2026, Jon Hansen went on trial for charges of first-degree murder in the death of Toyosi Bakare and attempted murder for the shooting of Mario Guerrero. Prosecutors alleged that Hansen was in the vehicle with Romeo Nance at the time of those two shootings.
