Shorewood Man Arrested Following Investigation Into January Murder Spree
May 31, 2024 6:32PM CDT
Sheriff Mike Kelley is pleased to announce the arrest of Jon W. Hansen, age 24, of Shorewood for the offenses of Murder (3 counts), Attempt First Degree Murder, and Aggravated Battery with a Firearm. The following is the summary of events which led to his arrest.
On 01/21/2024, at approximately 4:27 PM 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, age 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 01/22/2024, 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 PM, 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 PM, a helicopter had located the suspect vehicle on I-35, and Texas law enforcement were 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 these 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 the 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 01/27/2024, detectives with the Will County Sheriff’s Office interviewed Jon Hansen regarding these incidents. Jon made statements to detectives indicating that he was with Romeo Nance on 01/21/2024 beginning around 3:30 PM.
Jon further stated that he was with Romeo Nance, when the two random shootings occurred in the Joliet area. Jon stated that the gun used to shoot Mario Guerrero on Davis Street in Joliet was the given to him by Romeo Nance just after the shooting. Jon also stated he was with Romeo Nance when Toyosi Bakare was shot and killed at the Pheasant Run Apartments in Joliet Township. Jon stated that the gun used to shoot Toyosi Bakare was a 9mm Glock Ghost Gun.
Jon later told detectives that he threw the gun given to him by Romeo Nance in the DuPage River near his residence. Jon 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 02/05/2024, 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 05/31/2024, detectives with the Will County Sheriff’s Office 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.
Upon obtaining the warrant, Hansen was taken into custody without incident by members of the Will County Sheriff’s Office and transported to the Will County Public Safety Complex for processing. Hansen invoked his right to remain silent regarding the allegations. Hansen is currently incarcerated at the Will County Adult Detention Facility awaiting his initial court appearance.
So many agencies were involved in bringing these cases to a conclusion. Sheriff Mike Kelley would like to thank the Joliet Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Marshals Service, the Plainfield Fire Department, the Shorewood Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Rangers, and the many other agencies in this state and in Texas whose Task Force Officers assisted in the capture of Romeo Nance. In addition, Sheriff Mike Kelley would like to thank the dedicated detectives with the Will County Sheriff’s Office and the Joliet Police Department that would not rest until an additional offender was identified and held accountable for these crimes.