The victims ranged from 21 to 74 years old and were attacked at homes and a neighborhood park.
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — A family and its community were mourning five relatives killed in a series of targeted shootings as police investigated why seven members of the same family were attacked across three locations Sunday morning.
The dead were identified as Quentin L. Thompson, 21; Devin D. May, 24; Shania W. Thompson, 25; Cherie L. May, 49; and Patricia A. May, 74. Two other family members were wounded. Authorities have not released their identities or provided a detailed public update on their medical conditions.
The violence spread from a residence near North 39th Street and Summit Avenue to the Samuel Gompers Housing Development and Jones Park. One person was killed at the first home, three were killed at the housing complex and three people were shot at the park. Two of the park victims survived.
Illinois State Police called the case a targeted mass shooting against a family. Officials said the attacks were connected and were not believed to be random. They have not identified a motive or explained why the victims were found at separate locations.
Two teenagers, ages 15 and 16, were taken into custody after troopers stopped a vehicle associated with the investigation. At least one of the teenagers is related to the victims, police said. Authorities have not released the suspects’ names or fully described their alleged roles.
The loss reached across several generations of the family. Marcus May told reporters that those killed included his mother, sister and stepchildren. Other details about the relationships among all seven victims have not been officially released.
Coreen Chatman, a friend of Cherie May, remembered her as a good person and said the killings were especially difficult to understand because they happened so close to home. Residents near the shooting sites described a sense of disbelief as police secured the areas and investigators gathered evidence.
East St. Louis Councilman Courtney Hoffman II said the scale of the violence was unlike anything he had experienced in the city. He called the killings heartbreaking while emphasizing that authorities believed one family had been singled out.
Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said the attack would not erase the city’s recent progress in reducing violence. East St. Louis recorded fewer homicides in 2025 than it had five years earlier, according to figures cited by officials, making the sudden loss of five relatives especially jarring for local leaders.
Investigators continued working with the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office as prosecutors reviewed possible charges. Officials said no known threat to the wider public remained, but central questions about the motive, the sequence of the attacks and each suspect’s alleged actions were still unanswered.
Author note: Last updated July 14, 2026.