Eight-person murder spree in Illinois ends with arrest of 24-year-old suspect
(Cover photo, Jon W. Hansen mugshot, Image credit: Will County Sheriff’s Office)
On May 31, the Will County Sheriff’s Office headquartered in Joliet, Illinois, announced the arrest of Jon W. Hansen, 24, of Shorewood, Illinois, for the offenses of Murder (3 counts), Attempt First Degree Murder, and Aggravated Battery with a Firearm. Hansen has been connected to a frightening spree of eight murders that went down in Joliet over January of this year, according to the Sheriff’s Office and CBS News.
Background and Summary of Events Leading to Hansen’s Arrest
On January 21, at approximately 4:27 p.m. the Will County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call regarding a shooting that occurred at the Pheasant Run Apartments located at 5 Pheasant Run Road in Unincorporated Joliet Township. Deputies were advised that there was a subject laying on the ground bleeding from the head. Deputies located a critically injured male, later identified as Toyosi Bakare, 28, of Joliet and began to perform life saving measures. Mr. Bakare had a single gunshot wound to his head, which entered near his left eye.
While deputies were securing the crime scene, they learned that another shooting occurred in the City of Joliet in the 200 block of Davis Street a short time prior. The victim reported to members of the Joliet Police Department that the suspect vehicle in this incident was a Red Toyota.
Toyosi Bakare was transported to St. Joseph Hospital in Joliet in critical condition, where he later succumbed to his injuries. Once detectives and Crime Scene Investigators (CSI) were on scene, it was clear that robbery was not the motive of this crime. Deputies located money in the area where Mr. Bakare was shot.
Video surveillance recovered at the scene showed the suspect vehicle both entering and exiting the Pheasant Run Apartment complex, which matched the shooting that had occurred in the City of Joliet. Detectives with the Will County Sheriff’s Office and the Joliet Police department began to collaborate and investigate these two shootings that appeared to be random but connected.
By 8:00 PM, law enforcement was able to identify a suspect vehicle, which was a red Toyota Camry bearing Illinois license plate Q73 0412. Detectives utilized License Plate Reader (LPR) cameras to track the suspect’s vehicle throughout the Will County area. The suspect vehicle was known to be used by Joliet resident Romeo Nance, who had an extensive criminal history.
On January 22, shortly after noon, detectives went to 2212 West Acres to contact the registered owner of the suspect vehicle. Detectives received no response at that residence. Knowing the house across the street was also associated to the suspect and his family, detectives attempted to make contract with residents inside of that home. Upon detectives approaching, they noticed blood on the outside of the door and bullet holes on the exterior of the house located at 2225 West Acres.
Detectives attempted to contact occupants inside the residence and under exigency circumstances made entry into the home locating two deceased individuals. Detectives notified the Joliet Police Department of their findings and additional police personnel began to respond to the scene. Members of the Will County Sheriff’s Office and the Joliet Police Department then made entry to the residence located at 2212 West Acres and discovered five more deceased individuals inside of that residence. Shortly before 6:00 p.m., members of the Will County Sheriff’s Office who were coordinating with the United States Marshals Service were advised that Romeo Nance was believed to be traveling southbound in the State of Texas.
By 8:00 p.m., a helicopter had located the suspect vehicle on I-35, and Texas law enforcement was mobilizing additional personnel to stop the vehicle. The Will County Sheriff’s Office learned that the suspect Romeo Nance pulled his vehicle into a gas station located in Natalia, Texas. Task Force Officers with the United States Marshals Service observed Romeo Nance exit his vehicle with a firearm and flee on foot once he observed law enforcement.
Fearing he was about to be caught, Romeo Nance shot himself as law enforcement pursued him on foot. him. The Will County Sheriff’s Office is able to confirm that the 9mm handgun used by Romeo Nance to end his own life is the same weapon used to murder Toyosi Bakare.
After those incidents played out, attracting national media attention, detectives with the Will County Sheriff’s Office and the Joliet Police Department began to conduct interviews in hopes of determining the motive behind these gruesome murders that shocked their community. Detectives with the Will County Sheriff’s Office and the Joliet Police department were able to determine that Jon W. Hansen was with Romeo Nance prior to the shootings of Toyosi Bakare and Mario Guerrero.
On January 27, detectives with the Will County Sheriff’s Office interviewed Hansen regarding these incidents. Hansen made statements to detectives indicating that he was with Romeo Nance on January 21 beginning around 3:30 p.m.
Hansen further stated that he was with Nance when the two random shootings occurred in the Joliet area. Hansen stated that the gun used to shoot Mario Guerrero on Davis Street in Joliet was given to him by Romeo Nance just after the shooting. Hansen also said that he was with Nance when Toyosi Bakare was shot and killed at the Pheasant Run Apartments in Joliet Township. Hansen told investigators that the gun used to shoot Toyosi Bakare was a 9mm Glock Ghost Gun.
Hanen later told detectives that he threw the gun given to him by Romeo Nance into the DuPage River near his residence. He then refused to provide any further information regarding the location of the firearm. Detectives were able to determine the location of the firearm through other investigative means.
On February 5, detectives met with members of the Plainfield Fire Department to conduct an article search in the DuPage River near Westshore Drive and Picnic Street in Shorewood, Illinois. A Plainfield Fire Department diver located a loaded black Springfield Armory XDS pistol by dragging a magnet on the bottom of riverbed.
On May 31, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Jon W. Hansen. The Honorable Judge Sarah Jones signed the no-bond arrest warrant regarding the shooting investigations that occurred in Unincorporated Joliet Township and the City of Joliet.
Hansen was taken into custody and transported to the Will County Public Safety Complex for processing. He invoked his right to remain silent regarding the allegations against him and is now incarcerated at the Will County Adult Detention Facility where he is being held on a no-bond status.
For more on the story, see the video below.
***
(Source: Will County Sheriff’s Office)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
Follow Richard on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram
