Two teenagers were arrested on Sunday in connection with a targeted mass shooting that killed five members of the same family and wounded two others in East St Louis, Illinois, state police said. The 15- and 16-year-old suspects were taken into custody at Holten State Park, a recreation area east of the city, Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly announced at a Sunday news conference. They had not been formally charged with a crime immediately.
Targeted attack leaves five dead
Authorities described the incident as a targeted mass shooting that unfolded across three locations in East St Louis. The slain family members were identified as Cherie L May, 49; Devin D May, 24; Patricia A May, 74; Quentin L Thompson, 21; and Shania W Thompson, 25. Two other victims were taken to a hospital in St Louis, Missouri. No bystanders were injured, Kelly said.
Kelly said at least one suspect was related to at least one victim but declined to elaborate. He also declined to comment on how the teenagers may have obtained firearms. Illinois has some of the strictest state-level gun laws in the US.
Family annihilation pattern
The killings fit the definition of a family annihilation, a type of crime known since the 1980s where a perpetrator kills multiple close family members, often with a firearm. While historically seen as isolated tragedies, a July 2023 Indianapolis Star investigation found such events occur every five days on average across the US, raising questions about the lack of a nationwide prevention strategy.
Many of the US's mass murders—defined as incidents with four or more victims slain—are family annihilations. The East St Louis shooting was at least the 12th mass murder reported in the US so far in 2026, according to the nonpartisan Gun Violence Archive. At least seven of those fit the family annihilation definition.
Broader gun violence context
As of Monday morning, there have been more than 240 mass shootings across the US this year, per the Gun Violence Archive. Mass shootings are defined as incidents where four or more victims are wounded or killed. The persistently high numbers have prompted calls from lawmakers and advocates for stricter federal gun control, but Congress has not enacted such restrictions.
Illinois requires gun buyers to carry a firearm identification card. East St Louis borders Missouri, which does not require permits to buy or carry firearms, has no licensing system, and does not regulate private firearm transfers or storage. Missouri also does not criminalize minors possessing handguns, shotguns, or rifles, though selling such firearms to minors without parental consent is illegal.
Kelly called the attack “terrible” and “evil” but expressed resilience: “These alleged acts of horrific violence, taking this number of lives, here in this community, it’s terrible, it’s evil, but it will not keep this city down.”
