Illinois, USA
Eight bodies found near Chicago – suspect dead
Police are working on one of the crime scenes in Joliet, USA
© Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Chicago Sun-Times/AP/DPA
In the US state of Illinois, police were looking for a suspect who could be responsible for the deaths of up to eight people. Now the suspected shooter has been found dead.
After eight bodies were found in the city of Joliet near Chicago, the police searched for hours for a fugitive shooter – on Monday evening (local time) the suspect is said to have taken his own life. According to initial investigations, the 23-year-old shot himself in a confrontation with the police in the town of Natalia in the state of Texas, about 18 hours’ drive away, the police in Joliet (state Illinois) on Facebook.
The manhunt began after seven bodies were found at two different crime scenes in Joliet on Monday afternoon alone, all of which had gunshot wounds. The victims were found in two houses, said the police chief of the city of Joliet in the state of Illinois, Bill Evans, on Monday (local time). The investigators assume that the crimes are related and that the suspected shooter knew his victims.
Eight dead in shootings in the USA: investigators suspect a connection
On Sunday, a man was found with gunshot wounds at another location in the same district, who later died from his injuries. Investigators suspect that this crime was also committed by the same suspect. Further details were initially unclear.
In the USA there are repeated gun attacks with many deaths. Gun rights are a highly contentious issue in the United States, where there are more guns than people. Attempts to tighten lax gun laws repeatedly fail due to resistance from conservative Republicans.
Note: The article was updated after the death of the suspected shooter was reported.