Teens Targeted 7 Family Members in Violent Incident – Relatives Describe Tensions and Possible Motive

Seven relatives were reportedly drawn into a horrifying series of attacks that unfolded over several days. But the most unsettling question — what could drive two teenagers to turn against their own family? — would not begin to take shape until relatives and investigators revealed what allegedly happened behind closed doors.

Two teenagers are suspected of shooting seven members of the same extended family in East St. Louis, Illinois, unaliving five and critically injuring two others.

Authorities identified one suspect as 16-year-old Ja'ymeir Davis. The second suspect is a 15-year-old girl whose name has not been publicly released because of her age. Officials said the two teenagers are related, though they initially did not publicly explain the precise nature of that relationship.

The violence occurred across three locations, including Jones Park and the Samuel Gompers public housing complex, according to a Fox 8 report on the family killings published on July 14, 2026.

Davis has been charged as an adult in St. Clair County Circuit Court with five counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. He also faces two counts of aggravated battery, one count of dismembering a human body, one count of aggravated vehicular hijacking, and one count of unlawful use of a stolen firearm.

Prosecutors said Davis was automatically placed in adult court under an excluded-jurisdiction provision of the Illinois Juvenile Court Act. The provision removes first-degree murder cases from juvenile jurisdiction when a defendant is 16 or older.

The 15-year-old girl is facing first-degree murder allegations through a juvenile delinquency petition. Prosecutors are seeking to have her case transferred to adult court. The five people killed were identified as Patricia May, 74; Cherie May, 49; Devin May, 24; Quentin Thompson, 21; and Shania Thompson, 25.

Officials said Cherie was killed sometime after July 5. The other four deaths allegedly occurred between July 11 and July 12, suggesting that the violence was not confined to a single explosive moment.

Instead, information later presented in court painted a picture of a multi-day sequence of killings, concealment, and further attacks.

One especially disturbing allegation stated that a victim's thumb was removed after her death. As the scale of the tragedy became clear, East St. Louis Councilman Courtney Hoffman II voiced the question hanging over the entire community.

"It makes you wonder, what would make them do such a thing?" Hoffman said. "That's where I'm at with it. Like, why? What would be the reason?"

The Victims Were Not Strangers; They Were the Teens' Own Relatives

The bonds connecting those involved make the deaths even harder for surviving relatives to comprehend. Lamarion Smiley, who is related to both the victims and the teenage girl, said Shania and Quentin were the girl's siblings.

He identified Patricia as her grandmother, Cherie as her aunt, and Devin as her cousin. Miranda May, described as a cousin of one of the suspects, called the incident a "massacre."

"It's unfortunate what happened. There's really a loss for words," she said. "Nobody can prepare for another family member massacring the rest of your family members." The devastation is not limited to those who died.

Two other relatives were critically injured, leaving survivors to process not only the loss of five loved ones but the allegation that two young members of their own family were responsible.

Court Hearing Reveals an Alleged Chain of Attacks

Davis appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday, July 15, walking into the courtroom in handcuffs and appearing solemn. During the hearing, prosecutors disclosed new claims about how the deaths allegedly unfolded, according to details presented during Davis' first court appearance and reported by First Alert 4.

The 15-year-old girl was referred to in court by the initials "WT." The Illinois State's Attorney alleged that Davis shot Cherie at least four times. Prosecutors further claimed that WT shot and stabbed her an undisclosed number of times.

While Davis and WT were allegedly cleaning up in connection with Cherie's death, Devin reportedly entered the apartment unexpectedly. Prosecutors said Davis then shot Devin once in the head, killing him.

According to statements attributed to Davis in court, WT then "lured her grandmother into the apartment" while Davis hid inside a closet. When Patricia entered, Davis allegedly jumped out and shot her.

The pair are then accused of removing Patricia's thumb so they could unlock her phone. Davis reportedly told the court that Patricia's death "happened a while ago." "I didn't plan it. I didn't want to do it," he said.

He reportedly claimed that removing Patricia's thumb was WT's idea, saying, "It was WT's plan to get money from Patricia." The 74-year-old victim had worked at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville from 1986 until 2011, according to information released about the incident.

Three Relatives Were Attacked Inside a Vehicle

Smiley also described the attack at Jones Park that involved his wife, along with Shania and Quentin. "They took them to Jones Park and they fired off in the vehicle," he said. Smiley made another startling allegation about the surviving victim.

He claimed his 15-year-old relative "stood over [his] wife trying to kill her, but they had no more bullets." The account suggested the survivor may have escaped death not because the alleged attackers chose to stop, but because their ammunition was reportedly exhausted.

Messages Show the Teen Suspects Discussing the Family

Investigators also released what they described as an Instagram direct-message conversation between Davis and WT. In the exchange, the teenagers appeared to discuss violence against members of the girl's family.

Davis allegedly wrote, "Well yo auntie easy we can have her at gunpoint and stab her [expletive]." WT allegedly replied, "Oh you you you you I can do that, I love blood [sic]."

"You got it and at least we both love ts," Davis then said. "We gotta do this but taking them out is hard," another message attributed to him stated. WT then acknowledged, "Babe I'm finna lose my whole family for you." "Me too [expletive] life is crazy," Davis replied.

"No like we abt to kill my family im gonna have nb but you im scared asf [sic]," the girl's next message read. "I understand," Davis reportedly answered. WT then pnned, "I'll do it for me but will you do it for me [sic]." "Yes," Davis replied, according to investigators.

During the same court appearance, Davis's attorney presented a sharply different element of the story during the hearing. The defense claimed Davis had previously been targeted by members of the family and had guns pulled on him. His attorney requested that he be placed in protective custody.

The defense also said it intended to file notices of self-defense, compulsion, and necessity. Davis was remanded to the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office and is being held at the juvenile detention center while facing prosecution as an adult. The allegations against both teenagers remain to be tested in court, and neither has been convicted.

A Possible Motive Begins to Emerge

For days, relatives and officials returned to the same agonizing question: Why would two teenagers attack so many members of their own family?

Smiley eventually offered what he believes is the explanation. According to his account, the teenagers were romantically attached and wanted to remain together despite opposition from relatives.

The alleged motive, he said, was a desire to be together no matter the cost. "They wanted to eliminate everybody that had a problem with the situation," Smiley told a St. Louis affiliate in his account of the suspected motive and the family relationships.

That claim has not been established as fact in court. Still, it appears to align with the alleged messages in which WT wrote that she was about to lose her family for Davis.

A Father Condemns His Own Daughter's Choice

Perhaps the most emotionally complicated reaction came from Marcus May, the father of the 15-year-old suspect. Marcus said he lost his mother, his sister, and his nephew in the killings. At the same time, his own teenage daughter stands accused of helping cause those deaths.

He said his daughter "decided what she wanted to do," adding, "I can't show her no sympathy. I hate to be like that, especially in this time. But it is what it is [sic]."

Fundraiser Supports the Shattered Family

In the wake of the tragedy, a fundraiser has been established for Miranda May, who lost her mother, Cherie, her grandmother, Patricia, and her brother, Devin. The fundraiser supporting Miranda and Devin's young daughter describes her as feeling "broken and alone" while attempting to navigate overwhelming grief.

The page lists Devin as 20, while reports based on official identifications gave his age as 24. It also says Devin leaves behind a one-year-old daughter and the child's mother, Chelsey Gatlin. Donations are intended to help pay funeral expenses for Cherie, Patricia, and Devin, provide immediate assistance for Devin's daughter, and establish a trust fund for her future.

Some of the money will also be used for counseling and emotional support as surviving relatives begin the difficult process of coping with the trauma. The fundraiser set a goal of $14,000 and has already collected more than $13,000, bringing it close to its target. For those left behind, however, the emotional cost cannot be measured by a fundraising total.

Five relatives are dead, two others are critically wounded, and two teenagers from within the same family now stand accused of causing the devastation — allegedly over a relationship they believed others would never accept.