Illinois Crime: Family of 7 targeted in mass shooting, 5 killed; 2 teens arrested as police issue update

A targeted mass shooting in southwestern Illinois left five members of the same family dead and two others wounded in East St. Louis. Two teenagers have been arrested in connection with the incident, according to an Illinois State Police news release shared on Sunday, July 12. The shootings occurred primarily on Sunday at three locations in East St. Louis, including a park.

East St. Louis, population 17,500, is across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. It had 15 homicides in 2025, down from 34 in 2020, news agency AP reported, citing records. “It's terrible. It's evil. But it will not keep this city down,” Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly told reporters on Sunday, referring to the shootings, as quoted by news agency AP.

“The progress we have made will not be lost.” Troopers stopped a vehicle and arrested two teens suspected in the shootings, Kelly said. The fatal victims were identified as Patricia A. May, 74, Cherie L. May, 49, Devin D. May, 24, Shania W. Thompson, 25 and Quentin L. Thompson, 21. Authorities have not disclosed the exact family relationships among those who were killed. A motive remained under investigation.


“Preliminary investigation indicates that two suspects, a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old, were taken into custody on Sunday, July 12, 2026, after ISP officers successfully executed a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver on the vehicle the suspect was driving,” according to the release.

Police believe at least one of the suspects was directly involved in the shootings, according to outlets WANE 15 and WTTW. According to the release, there is “no known threat to the public at this time," and investigators are working with the State’s Attorney’s Office to pursue charges against the two suspects. Police said in the release that the investigation remains ongoing and that “additional information will be released as it becomes available.”