After losing seven family members in a deadly shooting this month in Joliet, surviving relatives expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support from the suburban community.
Romeo Nance fatally shot seven of his family members on Jan. 21 before killing an eighth unrelated individual, wounding another man and fleeing the state, according to Joliet police and relatives. Nance, 23, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound Jan. 22 after a confrontation with U.S. marshals in Texas.
The seven family members were identified as Christine Esters 38; William Esters, 35; Tameaka Nance, 47; Joshua Nance, 31; Alexandria Nance, 20; Alonnah Nance, 16; and Angel Nance, 14; according to the Will County coroner’s office and relatives.
“These senseless losses have resounded throughout our community, leaving us all in a state of shock, confusion, heartbreak, and sadness,” the family wrote in a statement Sunday. “But as we traverse this challenging time, it brings us some comfort to witness how loved our family members are.
“To know them was to love them. At this time, our hearts are heavy yet full.”
Family members say those killed played important roles in communities and organizations across the Joliet area, including the Illinois Department of Corrections, Joliet Steelers organization, Uno volleyball club, the WCW wrestling organization, nursing facilities of Joliet and Joliet Junior College.
“Our family will never be the same without Tameaka, William, Christine, Joshua, Alexandria, Alonnah, and Angel,” the family wrote. “But we are confident that we will find the strength to get through this together. We know their lights, legacies, and enormous personalities will live on in our hearts, photos, and memories. Each one of them made a difference in so many lives.”
The Illinois Department of Corrections released a statement mourning the loss of Christine Esters, who worked as a corrections treatment officer.
“Her passing is an enormous loss to all of us,” an IDOC spokesperson wrote in a statement. “IDOC joins her loved ones in mourning and will remember and honor the joy, enthusiasm, commitment, and dedication she brought to her career and community. We offer our greatest sympathy to all those impacted by this tragedy.”
Relatives and friends gathered outside the family homes Sunday afternoon in the 2200 block of West Acres Road for a vigil.
Prompted by the overwhelming outpouring of support, family members launched a GoFundMe page Sunday evening to assist with the financial burden of upcoming funeral services.
As of Monday, the effort had pledges of more than $6,000 of its $50,000 goal.
“We know that there are difficult days ahead of us as we deal with the daunting reality of picking up the shattered pieces and trying to experience life without every single one of our amazing relatives who have left this earth sooner than we would have liked,” the family wrote. “We ask that you all continue to lift us in prayer, praying for our strength and an abundance of peace at this time.”
Officers found the bodies of the family members in the homes on Jan. 22, but investigators believe they were shot the day before, according to Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans.
Five of the family members were discovered in one home and across the street, Tameaka Nance and William Esters II were found in the other home, police and the coroner’s office said.
After the shootings in the two homes, Nance shot two more men, one of them fatally, before fleeing the area, Evans said.
Deputies were called about 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 21, to the Pheasant Run Apartments in unincorporated Joliet Township and found Toyosi Bakare, 28, with a gunshot wound to his head, said Dan Jungles, deputy chief of the Will County sheriff’s office.
Bakare was taken to St. Joseph Hospital in Joliet, where he died, according to the Will County coroner’s office.
Several agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, assisted in the search for Nance.
Just before 6 p.m. on Jan. 22, U.S. marshals informed Will County deputies that Nance was believed to be traveling in Texas, Jungles said.
Task force officers tracked him to a gas station in Natalia, a town about 30 miles southwest of San Antonio, Jungles said. Nance fatally shot himself outside the gas station about 8:30 p.m. as he was being chased by task force officers after fleeing from his car.
Nance’s girlfriend, Kyleigh Cleveland-Singleton, has been charged with felony obstruction of justice. She appeared before a judge Thursday and was placed on home confinement, according to the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Contributing: Emmanuel Camarillo and Violet Miller
