Five relatives were gunned down across three quiet corners of East St. Louis, and the suspects are two kids who should have been worried about homework, not homicide.
Story Snapshot
- Five members of one family killed and two wounded across three linked shooting scenes in East St. Louis
- Illinois State Police say two teenagers, ages 15 and 16, were arrested after a park stop and vehicle chase
- Investigators call it a targeted mass shooting rooted in family ties, not random street violence
- Officials say there is no ongoing public threat, but motive and exact relationships remain unanswered
What Happened To One Family Over A Single Weekend
Illinois State Police say seven members of the same family were shot over the weekend, with five killed and two seriously wounded. The shootings unfolded Sunday across three locations in East St. Louis.
Three victims were found at the Samuel Gompers Homes public housing complex, one at a residence on 39th Street, and one at Jones Park. Two more relatives were shot at Jones Park and rushed to a hospital in St. Louis in serious condition.
St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. released the names of the five people who did not survive. They include 49-year-old Cherie L. May, 24-year-old Devin D. May, 74-year-old Patricia A. May, 21-year-old Quentin Thompson, and 25-year-old Shania Thompson.
Different outlets report slight spelling differences for some names, but they point to the same small circle of relatives ripped apart within hours. Their ages show three generations touched by the same burst of violence.
Two Teen Suspects And A Targeted Attack
Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly told reporters the shootings are being investigated as a “targeted mass shooting” against a single family. Police say this was not random gunfire on the street but a focused attack on known relatives.
Kelly stated that at least one suspect is related to at least one victim, confirming a family link between the accused and the dead. Some local reporting goes further, saying investigators believe all victims were related to the teenagers.
5 family members killed, 2 others gravely wounded in 'targeted' mass shooting – with teen relative in custody: cops https://t.co/m6g1SKeKd1 pic.twitter.com/3zYIMyG5yE
— New York Post (@nypost) July 13, 2026
Troopers arrested the two suspected teenagers, ages 15 and 16, on Sunday at Frank Holten State Park after stopping a vehicle. One teen is suspected of having a direct role in the shootings, while the other is tied to the case through the vehicle stop and chase.
At the time of Kelly’s press conference, charges were still pending with the St. Clair County State’s Attorney, showing the case in the investigative phase. Prosecutors are expected to file formal charges once they review the evidence.
Is This A Mass Shooting Or Family Murder By Another Name
This case drops into a larger debate over how we label gun attacks. Illinois State Police use the term “targeted mass shooting” because five people were killed and two injured in linked incidents.
A city councilman in East St. Louis, Cory Hoffman, argued it is not a mass shooting in the usual sense but a focused family attack, likely worried about how the label shapes the city’s image. That tension is familiar in American gun politics, where words carry economic and political weight for local leaders.
National research shows that most mass shootings are not random strangers terrorizing malls or schools. A major analysis found that 54 percent of mass shootings between 2009 and 2016 involved domestic or family violence, and a quarter of those killed were children.
This horror in East St. Louis fits that quiet pattern. Families, not crowds, are often the main targets. For those who value family as the basic unit of society, that detail should hit harder than any headline about crime statistics.
Unanswered Questions And What Accountability Looks Like For Teens
Police leaders say there is no known ongoing threat to the public, because they believe the attacks were targeted and the suspects are in custody. That calms the wider city, but it does not answer why two teenagers would turn on relatives with such deadly force.
Kelly has been clear that the motive is still under investigation, and he declined to share more details about the exact family relationships. Rumors online are already filling that gap, even as authorities ask people to wait on facts.
Family targeted in mass shooting that left 5 dead in East St. Louis, police say https://t.co/7eVlanBsH5
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) July 14, 2026
The suspects’ ages raise hard questions about justice and responsibility. At 15 and 16, they fall inside juvenile law, even though they are accused of killing five people.
Many Americans ask whether someone old enough to plan and carry out multiple shootings should face adult-level accountability. That debate taps straight into common sense instincts about right and wrong and the belief that actions, not age, should drive consequences.
Sources:
abc7chicago.com, bnd.com, youtube.com
