Two teens charged with murder after ‘targeted’ shootings in East St. Louis
St. Clair County prosecutors on Tuesday filed first-degree murder charges against the teenage suspects in a series of shootings Sunday that targeted one of the suspects’ family members.
Ja’ymeir M. Davis, 16, of East St. Louis, was charged as an adult with five counts of first-degree murder, dismembering a body, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated battery, aggravated vehicular hijacking and unlawful use of a stolen firearm.
Another suspect has also been charged with first-degree murder, among other unspecified charges, in juvenile court, according to St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office spokesman Chris Allen.
Allen said in a news release Tuesday that the state’s attorney’s office intends to petition the court to charge the minor as an adult. It happened automatically for Davis because juvenile court excludes first-degree murder from its jurisdiction when the defendant is 16 or older.
Juvenile court records are not public, and prosecutors could not release the teenager’s name. Authorities and relatives have said previously that a 15-year-old suspect arrested Sunday in the shootings is Davis’ girlfriend and is related to the targeted family.
Davis’ murder charges relate to the weekend shooting deaths of Patricia May, 74; Cherie May, 49; Shania Thompson, 25; Devin May, 24; and Quentin Thompson, 21. Davis is accused of killing them with a stolen 9mm pistol and of cutting off Patricia May’s thumb after her death.
The attempted murder and aggravated battery charges allege Davis also shot Tiffany Thompson and Santosha Scott. A relative said both are recovering at a hospital.
According to family members who have spoken to the media, Tiffany Thompson is the 15-year-old suspect’s mother, Shania and Quentin Thompson are her siblings, Patricia May is her grandmother, Cherie May is her aunt, and Devin May and Santosha Scott are her cousins.
An attorney for Davis is not yet listed in court records.
The shootings took place in three locations, but they were investigated as a targeted mass shooting because they are related, Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said at a Sunday afternoon news conference.
All three Mays were fatally shot at the Samuel Gompers Homes, Quentin Thompson was fatally shot at Jones Park and Shania Thompson was shot at 39th Street and Summit Avenue, according to St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr.
The two surviving shooting victims were also shot at Jones Park, authorities said.
At Sunday’s news conference, Kelly declined to discuss a possible motive. Charging documents do not give any insight.
Kelly said the two teenagers were arrested Sunday at Frank Holten State Park in East St. Louis.
Prosecutors filed a petition to detain Davis in jail pending trial.
Two GoFundMe accounts were established for surviving family members to cover funeral costs and other expenses, including counseling.
This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 12:53 PM.
