In a shocking case that has left a community reeling, a teenager and her boyfriend allegedly embarked on a violent shooting spree, resulting in the deaths of five family members and injuries to two others. The father of the girl, who was ordered to be homeschooled by her parents, shared his disbelief over the tragic events.
The 15-year-old girl, whose identity remains undisclosed due to her arrest but pending formal charges, reportedly carried out these actions at multiple sites in East St. Louis, Illinois, on Sunday.
Her accomplice, 16-year-old Ja’ymeir Davis, was charged on Tuesday with five counts of murder, according to police reports.
The victims of this tragic incident have been identified by authorities as Devin May, 24, a cousin of the girl; Quentin Thompson, 21, and Shania Thompson, 25, her step-siblings; Patricia May, 74, her grandmother; and Cherie May, 49, her aunt.
Marcus May, the girl’s father, expressed his profound heartbreak over the incident, revealing that there were several warning signs leading up to the devastating shooting.
He claimed he received a call from his child’s mother five days before the shooting warning that she had run away from home and stolen her gun, reports the St Louis Post Dispatch.
May, who shares custody of his daughter, said his she had been repeatedly getting in trouble in school in the months leading up to the shooting, leading him and her mother to pull her out of school and homeschool her.
He said the move infuriated his daughter, who lived with her mother, and she had previously run away from home several times and stolen her mother’s credit card.
May added that his ex-partner warned him that their daughter was in a disturbing group chat with her boyfriend and other teens where they talked about killing her family members, but he did not take the threat seriously at the time.
Devin May, 24, was among the deceased following a horrific massacre across the town of East St. Louis, Illinois on Sunday, allegedly at the hands of his cousin, 15, and her boyfriend, 16. He is pictured with his wife before the birth of their first child
Patricia May, 74, was allegedly killed by her granddaughter during the shooting spree
Police said the shootings took place at three locations across East St. Louis, Illinois on Sunday
May said his daughter’s troubling behavior escalated until she stole the gun from her mother days before the shooting.
On the day of the bloodbath, he said the girl’s grandmother Patricia, who was killed in the shooting spree, had called her granddaughter begging her to come home and insisted she could ‘deal with’ her behavior.
May meanwhile said he contacted the boyfriend’s parents to tell them to get their son away from his daughter.
The girl’s mother then reported her missing and warned police that the gun was stolen, but days passed without them hearing from her.
On Sunday morning, May said he woke up to numerous missed calls and messages, and he knew something had gone terribly wrong.
Police said the victims were killed in several locations across East St. Louis, with Shania Thompson 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 all discovered at the Samuel Gompers apartment complex.
The girl’s father Marcus May (above) said he has been left devastated by the tragedy, as he revealed several red flags before the mass shooting
Shania Thompson, 25, was found dead in a car behind an abandoned property
Cherie May, 49, was allegedly killed by her niece during the tragedy
Quentin, the teenage girl’s step-brother, was found dead on the side of Interstate 64
Two other people, who have not been publicly identified, were also shot during the violent episode, and sustained serious injuries but survived.
Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said the events were a ‘targeted mass shooting’ and the teenagers have been arrested, however they have not been formally charged.
The Daily Mail has contacted the Illinois State Police for updates on their case.
May said the shootings have left him heartbroken, saying: ‘I lost my whole family in one fell swoop.’
He told KSDK that he is in disbelief that his own daughter would allegedly kill her own family members, and he ‘can’t show her no sympathy.’
Devin had welcomed a baby daughter just a year before the tragedy, with his wife Chelsey Gatlin saying in a touching tribute he ‘was a great father.’
‘A great person and a great man,’ she said.
Devin had welcomed a baby daughter just a year before the tragedy
Miranda May, Devin’s sister and daughter of Cherie, added: ‘He loved his family. I really don’t have no words to say. I can’t believe this. They were wonderful people with good hearts.’
She said the loss of Patricia, 74, was devastating, as she continued: ‘My granny is so loved. It just hurts to see that she was gone like this. It hurts so bad.’
In a GoFundMe set up to help the surviving family members, the deceased’s loved ones said they have been left ‘feeling broken and alone, not knowing where to turn.’
‘The media has called this tragedy a massacre, and the pain is compounded by the circumstances—two young family members were responsible for these devastating murders,’ the fundraiser alleged.