On Jan. 22, Joliet police were notified at 12:04 pm of multiple people suspected of being killed in their homes on the 2200 block of West Acres road, just a few blocks short of Joliet West.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found seven people fatally shot between two homes across from each other. Soon after, 23-year-old Romeo Nance, a former Joliet West student, was named a suspect and a manhunt began.
Just the day before, a 42-year-old man was shot in the leg on the 200 block of Davis Street in Joliet where home security footage caught a red Toyota Camry’s license plate belonging to Nance. The footage showed the Toyota circling back on a street and having multiple exchanges of words with the man, who walked away after the interaction. Just moments later, gunshots were heard and the man was later rushed to the hospital where he suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Only around 10 minutes later another man, 28-year-old Yoyosi Bakare, was fatally shot in unincorporated Joliet Township.
Quickly after the events took place the following Monday, Nance was believed to be responsible for all three shootings (police previously believed the two shootings on Sunday to be random).
Nance was tracked as he traveled around 1,200 miles to Natalia, Texas, where he was confronted by police and fatally shot himself upon their approach.
The murders have shocked the community as there is yet to be an identified motive and Joliet Police Chief Evans said in his 29 years on the job, it was “probably the worst crime I’ve ever been associated with.”
Senior Dana Malec shared that she lives close to where the murders on West Acres took place and that it was “really scary the first night before anybody knew where he was, and the fact that it was so close…it was freaky.”
Though the motive for the killings remain currently unknown, most victims were related to Nance. The victims found at the West Acres homes are as follows: 38-year-old Christine Esters, 47-year-old Tamaeka Nance, 35-year-old William Esters II, 31-year-old Joshua Nance and 20-year-old Alexandria Nance. A 16-year-old and 14-year-old were also killed, but early into the investigation their names were not previously released by officials due to being under legal age.
However, the school district was made aware that victims were connected to Joliet West. Due to emergency e-learning taking place on Tuesday, Jan. 23, this allowed for proper time to put a crisis intervention plan in place. Dr. Karla Guseman, Superintendent, shared the following message with the community, “Words cannot adequately express the sadness I am feeling. Senseless acts of violence like this should never happen and it is truly hard to wrap our heads around it. We will never understand it.”
Unfortunately, Joliet West is feeling this loss on a deep level. Two of the victims are part of our Tiger family.
Alexandria Nance was a former Joliet West student who graduated with the class of 2022. She was a star athlete on the track team, being the only one to make it to state her senior year and finishing 6th in the state at indoor championships for 60m hurdles and had the 15th best time in the state for 100m hurdles. Photo courtesy of Coach Atkinson.
On Tuesday evening, it was revealed that Alonnah Nance, the 16-year-old killed in the shooting, was a current junior at Joliet West. Nance played club volleyball (see memorial posted on Instagram @uno_volleyball) and was involved in her school community in many ways. She was also a part of the backstage crew this year for the fall play. (Pictured is Alonnah’s junior year portrait, taken by VIP).
“Alonnah was very involved in our school community through several sports, clubs, and extracurricular activities. The relationships that Alonnah has made throughout the years here have made an impact that we know will be felt deeply,” shared Principal Parker.
The younger sister, 14-year-old Angel Nance, was a 2023 graduate of Hufford Junior High and although currently not enrolled at Joliet West, the class of 2027 is feeling her loss deeply.
While the incident unfolded within the news, some parents had frustration with the school due to a seemingly lack of communication or lockdown during the chaos that followed the events on Monday, but JTHS sent an email to parents and students ensuring that Joliet law enforcement advised administration that “there was not a threat to West Campus, and therefore, there was no lockdown implemented” as police knew Nance to not be in the area. Despite this, community posts were made on the JPD live press conference questioning why West was not on lockdown while the police surveyed the home. The school district has reiterated that the safety of all is always a top priority.
JTHS also expressed their understanding of how with the several tragic events taking place in Joliet and former and current West students involved, students may be grieving or feeling uneasy. An email sent out as well as a presentation shared with all students during period 2 on Wednesday morning explained that counselors would be available to students to reach out for support if needed and passes will be given out for any individual who expresses distress or visibly appears upset. Support resources are also available for staff and community members as well.
As the motive for these tragic events remains unclear, one thing that is clear is that the Joliet West Tiger Family will help each other heal in the coming days.
“Our hearts are breaking for Alonnah, Alexandria, Angel, their family, friends, and for our students and staff who knew and loved them. Our community is hurting as we all work to process such an evil act,” shared Guesman.
Those needing support are encouraged to check out the Community Support Resources Webpage under the “Grief and Loss” dropdown menu.
“There is so much healing that needs to take place. Please know that we are here for our staff, students, and families during this unimaginable time,” concluded Guesman.
Follow the local Joliet Police Department for updated information as details continue to unfold in this tragic case.