Two Teens Arrested After Five Members of Family Killed in Illinois Shooting
A targeted mass shooting in East St. Louis, Illinois, left five members of a family dead and two injured. Two teenagers, ages 15 and 16, have been arrested, and at least one is related to the victims.
Illinois State Police have arrested two teenagers in connection with a targeted mass shooting that killed five members of the same family and wounded two others in East St. Louis. The suspects, aged 15 and 16, were taken into custody at Holten State Park on Sunday but have not yet been formally charged.
According to Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly, the shooting occurred at three separate locations and remains under investigation. At least one suspect is related to one or more of the victims. Kelly declined to comment on how the teenagers obtained firearms. Illinois has some of the strictest gun laws in the U.S.
The deceased family members have been identified as Cherie L. May, 49; Devin D. May, 24; Patricia A. May, 74; Quentin L. Thompson, 21; and Shania W. Thompson, 25. Two victims were taken to a hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. No bystanders were injured.
The incident fits the definition of a family annihilation, a type of crime that occurs in the U.S. on average every five days, according to a 2023 investigation. So far in 2026, there have been at least 12 mass murders in the U.S., seven of which are family annihilations. Additionally, over 240 mass shootings—defined as incidents with four or more victims wounded or killed—have occurred this year.
East St. Louis borders Missouri, which has weaker gun laws, including no permit requirement for purchase or carrying, and does not criminalize minors possessing handguns, shotguns, or rifles, though selling them to minors without parental consent is illegal.
