
According to Police, Two More Were Shot, But Have Survived
13 July, 2026: Seven members of the same family were shot, five of them fatally, in what authorities are calling a “targeted mass shooting” in East St. Louis, Illinois, on Sunday. Two 16‑year‑old suspects have been taken into custody in connection with the attack, though formal charges had not yet been filed at the time officials briefed the media.
Police say the violence unfolded across multiple locations in the city, underscoring both the severity and the apparent coordination of the attack. Despite the scale of the incident, authorities maintain that there is “no known threat to the public,” suggesting they believe the victims were specifically targeted and that the immediate danger has been contained.
What Happened
Illinois State Police and local officials described a chaotic scene spanning several neighborhoods in East St. Louis. Shootings were reported near 39th and Summit, at the Gompers public housing project, and in Jones Park, painting a picture of a moving, multi‑site crime rather than a single incident.
By the time the gunfire stopped, seven members of one family had been struck by bullets. Five of those victims succumbed to their injuries, while two others were rushed to a hospital with serious, though not fully detailed, conditions. Officials have not released the names of the victims or their ages, and details on the relationship between the suspects and the family remain unavailable in early reports.
Authorities’ Response
At a press briefing, Illinois State Police confirmed that two teenage suspects, both 16 years old, were detained in connection with the shootings. Investigators emphasized that the case is still active, and that charges were pending as evidence is processed and interviews continue.
Speaking about the impact on the community, one official condemned the attack in stark terms: “These alleged acts of horrific violence, taking this number of lives here in this community — it’s terrible, it’s evil, but it will not keep this city down.” Other officials echoed the description of a “terrible, terrible act of violence,” highlighting both the emotional toll and the determination to pursue justice.
Despite the scale of the tragedy, police stressed that there was no ongoing threat to residents beyond those directly targeted. That statement implies investigators believe this was a focused attack on a particular family rather than a random or indiscriminate shooting.
A “Targeted” Mass Shooting
The phrase “targeted mass shooting” is notable. In law‑enforcement language, it usually indicates that the victims were selected rather than randomly chosen, even when the number of casualties meets the threshold for a mass shooting. Here, with seven people shot and five killed, the event clearly qualifies as a mass casualty crime while still being framed as aimed at a single family.
This characterization raises questions that early reports do not yet answer:
- Why was this family targeted?
- What, if any, prior conflicts or threats existed?
- How did two 16‑year‑olds gain the means and apparent coordination to carry out shootings at multiple locations?
As of the latest reporting, officials have not publicly discussed motive, nor have they provided a timeline of how the shootings progressed from one site to another.
Community Impact and Unanswered Questions
For East St. Louis, a city already familiar with economic struggle and high crime rates, the loss of five family members in a single incident is another deep wound. Officials insist the city will not be defined or broken by this act, but the emotional and psychological impact on neighbors and relatives is likely to be profound.
What The Bible Has To Say
As of now, we don’t really know the specific motive for this particular event, however we do know why. Folks, I have been really negligent in the past month, when it comes to this blog. That’s because I personally feel there is little left to say. Times are getting to the point in these days that people really shouldn’t need me or anyone to point out the obvious. The times in which we live have become so evil, so chaotic, so full of violence, that to me it just seem redundant.
The Bible clearly gives us a layout, a foreshadowing of things to come. I’m often reminded of the words of King Solomon:
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun. – Ecclesiastes 1:9 ESV
The more I study the Bible the more amazed I become. This Bible is clearly a supernatural book. And there is a pattern: Jesus gave us the example himself. He compared the last days before his coming to the Days of Noah.
The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.
Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them.” – Genesis 6:5-6, 11-13 ESV
But why do people do such evil things to begin with? As I said, we may never know the true motive for 2 young men to make a decision to kill members of this family, but we do know what the Bible says about people living in this day and age:
And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a corrupt mind so that they do what is not right. 29 They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
31 senseless, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful. 32 Although they know God’s just sentence — that those who practice such things deserve to die — they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice them. – Romans 1:28-32 CSB
All of this, everything you are seeing in this current world, regardless of the events, are all caused by a single reason: “And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God.” God is love, that’s his substance. Remove God from a society, and you remove love from that society. And all you have left is wickedness. That is why we see nothing but evil in this world.
THE END IS NEAR HERE
You need to stop playing chicken with you eternal destiny. Picture a freight train at full speed barreling toward you. That is you spiritual condition right now, if you’ve never accepted Jesus as your savior. Stop worrying about your future; it’s your ‘right now’ you need to be concerned about. I don’t even place any guarantees on tomorrow any more. The Rapture of the Church could happen any day. After the Rapture, you won’t be dead, of course, you’ll just wish you were. Imagine the current world you leave in x10. The Holy Spirit will be taken from the earth and any restraint to evil that exists right now will be gone.
God is love, that’s his substance. Remove God from a society, and you remove love from that society. And all you have left is wickedness. That is why we see nothing but evil in this world.
I have written two articles talking about how the days of Noah line up with the times in which we live. I will post a link to the first one below. That’s the most important thing on your list: Get your life straightened out, and make Jesus your savior today.
The Days of Noah: Then and Now
Two teen suspects held after 5 family members killed in ‘targeted mass shooting’









