Shorewood Gang Member Wanted To Fight Vice Lords: Prosecutors

SHOREWOOD — Will County's newest first-degree murder defendant, Jon Hansen, a 24-year-old Shorewood resident from Ravinia Drive, was riding around with Romeo Nance after Nance admitted killing six people in January, according to Will County prosecutors.

Hansen's girlfriend was also riding around in the car belonging to Nance's murdered relative, prosecutors said. She is named in court documents, but Patch is not identifying her because she has not been charged.

Police believe Nance killed seven of his family members, fatally shot a man outside the Pheasant Run apartments in Joliet Township in a random attack, and wounded another man on Joliet's Davis Street in another random shooting. According to authorities, Nance fled to Mexico before taking his own life.

A Will County court hearing will happen Wednesday morning to determine whether Hansen should remain in pretrial detention under the SAFE-T-Act. Hansen faces several counts of first-degree murder in connection with a Joliet Township slaying outside the Pheasant Run apartment buildings along South Chicago Street.

According to the Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow, on Jan. 27, Jon Hansen was interviewed by police and admitted to being with Romeo Nance on the day of the shootings. He stated that Romeo told him he killed six people when he picked him up. According to prosecutors, Hansen said Romeo asked Joliet Township murder victim Toyosi Bakare what he was doing and then shot him.

Prosecutors said Hansen stated that the other person who got shot on Joliet's Davis Street was someone random, prosecutors said. He stated that before the shooting they went to 7-Eleven in Shorewood and Romeo told him to get a pair of gloves. According to prosecutors, Hansen said Romeo asked the victim on Davis if he gangbanged and the victim said he didn't speak English — then Romeo started shooting.

"Jon admitted to holding the gun used for the Davis Street shooting ... He claimed to not know what Romeo was doing, didn't know why they drove to the areas they drove to and essentially blamed Romeo for everything," prosecutors outlined. "He did admit assuming they were going to slide on some Vice Lords. He admitted to being masked and gloved and knowing he was going to hold a gun. He admitted he had the gun that was used in the Davis shooting and threw it in the river. He identified the river near 7-Eleven where he threw the gun."

Hansen's girlfriend was also interviewed on Jan. 27 by police, and she stated she was present for the shootings as well, court records reflect.

"Romeo Nance picked up her and the defendant," prosecutor Tricia McKenna outlined. "She sat in the back seat. She thought they were going to drive around and smoke and drink. One or them shot the man on Davis. Nance shot the male in the apartment complex. The defendant went to 7-Eleven before the shootings and bought gloves."

After the shootings, prosecutors said, Hansen took the gun that was used. He then had his girlfriend take an Uber with him to 7-Eleven after Romeo dropped them off.

Court filings show that Hansen told her to tell the Uber driver she lost her phone and that they were going to look for it, which was not true. She went inside the 7-Eleven store. Hansen got out and went somewhere while she was inside, according to court documents. She asked what he was doing, and he said not to worry about it. She believed he threw the gun in the river.

According to prosecutors, phone data was recovered from Romeo Nance, Jon Hansen and Hansen's girlfriend. Text messages showed Hansen asking Nance at 9:57 a.m. on the day of the murders if he wanted to "spin the lords" that day. "Content will establish that the defendant represents himself as a Milwaukee King gang member who wants to fight Vice Lords," McKenna said.

At 9:58 a.m., Hansen asked, "want go around the block n see the vls." Court documents said texts showed Hansen also soliciting another person to participate in an attack on the Vice Lords, but that person declined. Hansen indicated to Romeo at 10:30 a.m. that he had a mask but needed gloves, documents note.

At 12:18-12:19 p.m., immediately after the Nance family was murdered, documents say texts showed Hansen tell his girlfriend that Romeo was picking him up and that they were going to "torch s**t," further stating, "Just know I'aint playing."

According to court documents, Hansen told Romeo at 12:46 p.m. that he would provide drugs in exchange for being allowed to hold an item. At 1:14 p.m., he told Romeo "call me when u pulling up."

On Feb. 5, the gun was located in the DuPage River behind the Shorewood 7-Eleven.

lt is a black Springfield Armory XDS with an empty chamber but rounds in the magazine. lt is the right caliber to be the firearm used to commit the shooting on Davis, but the lab was unable to conclusively determine whether the bullet from Davis Street came from that gun, Monday's pretrial detention petition noted.

Flock camera hits and location data from Romeo Nance, Jon Hansen and his girlfriend corroborate the course of events, according to Tricia McKenna of the Will County State's Attorney Office.