Illinois Mass Shooting Suspect Found Dead in Texas

Facts

• A man suspected of fatally shooting eight people in a Chicago suburb on Monday has reportedly committed suicide following a confrontation with law enforcement in Texas.¹
• The suspect, 23-year-old Romeo Nance, died from a self-inflicted gunshot after a standoff with multiple law enforcement agencies at a gas station in Natalia.²
• The victims, who were known to Nance, were found over Sunday and Monday at three separate residences in Will County and Joliet. Authorities additionally suspect Nance was linked to a third shooting in Joliet, which injured a man on Sunday.³
• Nance's death came hours after Joliet police launched a manhunt, warning that he was armed and dangerous. Records suggest Nance was previously arrested for aggravated discharge of a weapon in an incident involving a woman.⁴
• A 'very complicated and active investigation' is reportedly underway, as authorities attempt to determine a motive for the mass killing.⁵

Sources: ¹New York Times, ²USA Today, ³NPR Online News, ⁴CBS and ⁵BBC News.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by New York Times. The US is plagued by gun violence. Yet, Republicans continue to sit back and watch the carnage unfold rather than help Congress pass meaningful federal gun control laws to prevent Illinois-like incidents. The GOP, which is effectively owned by the gun lobby, has blood on its hands because it continues to offer 'thoughts and prayers' after every mass shooting instead of taking concrete steps to end the endemic.
• Republican narrative, as provided by Daily Wire. Monday's fatal shooting in Illinois exemplifies why tighter gun control laws won't do anything to slow the pace of mass shootings. Illinois has some of the strongest gun control laws in the US, yet they did nothing to stop a criminal from opening fire on innocent Americans. The Democrats just want to infringe on the Second Amendment under the garb of preventing gun violence.

Predictions