A teenager has been accused of killing five members of her family and injuring two others, with the help of her 16-year-old boyfriend.The couple, who are 15 and 16 years old, have not been publicly named because they have been arrested but not formally charged.According to authorities, the incident took place over several locations in East St.Louis, Illinois, on Sunday, July 12.The victims identified by the police include the girl’s cousin, Devin May, who was 24 years old; her step-siblings, Quentin Thompson, 21, and Shania Thompson, 25; her 74-year-old grandmother, Patricia May; and her 49-year-old aunt, Cherie May.
The girl’s father, Marcus May, shared his devastation over the tragedy.
He revealed that five days before the shooting, his ex-partner had called him to warn that their daughter had run away from home and taken her mother’s gun.According to reports from the St.Louis Post-Dispatch, Marcus, who shares custody of his daughter, explained that she had been having problems at school in the months leading up to the incident.As a result, he and her mother decided to withdraw her from school and start homeschooling her.
He said this decision made his daughter very angry, and she had previously run away from home several times and stolen her mother’s credit card.
Marcus also mentioned that his ex-partner had expressed concern about the daughter’s behavior, noting that she was involved in a disturbing group chat with her boyfriend and other teenagers where they discussed killing family members.However, Marcus did not take the warning seriously.
In the days leading up to the shooting, the daughter’s behavior became more severe, and she ultimately stole the gun from her mother.
On the day of the incident, Marcus said his daughter’s grandmother, Patricia, called her granddaughter begging her to return home and convinced her she could handle the situation.
Marcus also contacted the boyfriend’s parents to ask them to keep their son away from his daughter.
The girl’s mother then reported her missing and informed the police about the stolen gun.However, no word was heard from the girl for several days.
On Sunday morning, Marcus received numerous missed calls and messages, and he knew something had gone terribly wrong.
Police stated that the victims were killed in various locations in East St.Louis.Shania Thompson was found in a car behind an abandoned property near May's home.Her brother Quentin was found nearby, on the other side of Interstate 64.The other three victims were discovered at the Samuel Gompers apartment complex.
Two other individuals were also shot during the incident but survived with serious injuries.
Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly described the incident as a 'targeted mass shooting.' The teenagers have been arrested, though they have not yet been formally charged.
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