The Blaze⁠80%

15-year-old girl allegedly shot and killed 5 of her family members with 16-year-old boy, police say ⁠37%

By Carlos Garcia⁠63%

7/15/2026, 9:30:00 AM

BS Summary: This article contains 17 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Authority, Appeal to Emotion, and Confirmation Bias, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 29.9% saturation with 111 hits. Analysis detected 717 faulty-reasoning hits from 371 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 43.5% and a BS Rank of ⁠37% (13,471 of 21,165 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 63.60% of the article peer group.

Two teenagers were arrested for allegedly shooting seven people and killing five in a crime spree over the weekend. 
Illinois State Police said all of the victims were related to the 15-year-old girl, who has been charged as a juvenile. 
Ja'ymier Davis, 16, of East Saint Louis was arrested and is being charged as an adult. 
'It's all because y'all wanted to be together, so ... they wanted to eliminate everybody that had a problem with the situation.' 
The investigation began after human remains were reported on Sunday at the Samuel Gompers Homes public housing complex, according to Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly at a press conference. 
Three victims were shot and killed at that location, while two others were shot and killed at two separate locations at Jones Park and 39th and Summit streets. 
Two others were shot at Jones Park and transported with serious injuries to a hospital. 
The husband of one of the survivors spoke to KSDK-TV and said the couple had posted a "hit list" on Instagram. 
"It's all because y'all wanted to be together, so ... they wanted to eliminate everybody that had a problem with the situation," Lamarian Smiley said. 
He said his wife was one of the victims but that the pair had run out of bullets and were unable to kill her. 
The alleged killers also cut off one of the thumbs of the girl's 74-year-old grandmother , Patricia A. 
May. 
Smiley also said that the gun used in the spree was stolen from the girl's mother. 
"Her daughter took the keys from her purse, unlocked the lockbox, and took the firearm," he added. 
"The police were notified as soon as they found out that the firearm was taken." 
The St. 
Clair County State's Attorney's Office says it's requesting the 15-year-old suspect be charged as an adult as well. 
RELATED: 'Those children were hunted down and killed': Oklahoma police stunned by family massacre where 10-year-old boy was unharmed 
Smiley indicated that be believes mental illness was to blame. 
East St. 
Louis is a city of about 18,500 residents located in the southwest part of the state. 
Article reasoning-pattern comparisonThis article: 17.0%Carlos Garcia: 3.9%Blaze Media: 5.6%Confirmation Bias17.0%This article: 5.7%Carlos Garcia: 0.7%Blaze Media: 0.6%Anchoring Bias5.7%This article: 12.7%Carlos Garcia: 3.4%Blaze Media: 3.1%Availability Heuristic12.7%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.6%Blaze Media: 1.0%Representativeness Heuristic0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.4%Blaze Media: 0.8%Hindsight Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 1.0%Blaze Media: 1.6%Overconfidence Bias0.0%This article: 13.5%Carlos Garcia: 11.2%Blaze Media: 9.7%Framing Effect13.5%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.3%Blaze Media: 0.4%Loss Aversion0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.5%Blaze Media: 0.5%Status Quo Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.0%Blaze Media: 0.2%Sunk Cost Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 1.2%Blaze Media: 1.7%Optimism Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.8%Blaze Media: 1.5%Pessimism Bias0.0%This article: 29.9%Carlos Garcia: 11.4%Blaze Media: 9.5%Negativity Bias29.9%This article: 6.5%Carlos Garcia: 1.7%Blaze Media: 1.4%Self-Serving Bias6.5%This article: 2.7%Carlos Garcia: 1.2%Blaze Media: 1.1%Fundamental Attribution Error2.7%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.1%Blaze Media: 0.2%Actor-Observer Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 1.9%Blaze Media: 2.8%In-Group Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 1.0%Blaze Media: 1.5%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 1.7%Blaze Media: 2.6%Halo Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.3%Blaze Media: 0.4%Horn Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.1%Blaze Media: 0.1%Dunning-Kruger Effect0.0%This article: 5.1%Carlos Garcia: 1.1%Blaze Media: 1.1%Recency Bias5.1%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.4%Blaze Media: 0.5%Primacy Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.2%Blaze Media: 0.1%Blind-Spot Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 3.2%Blaze Media: 2.6%Ad Hominem0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.8%Blaze Media: 1.2%Straw Man0.0%This article: 22.9%Carlos Garcia: 3.7%Blaze Media: 3.7%Appeal to Authority22.9%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 1.4%Blaze Media: 2.4%False Dilemma0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.3%Blaze Media: 1.4%Slippery Slope0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.0%Blaze Media: 0.1%Circular Reasoning0.0%This article: 6.5%Carlos Garcia: 5.2%Blaze Media: 9.0%Hasty Generalization6.5%This article: 5.1%Carlos Garcia: 1.6%Blaze Media: 0.8%Red Herring5.1%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.9%Blaze Media: 0.9%Bandwagon0.0%This article: 22.6%Carlos Garcia: 10.1%Blaze Media: 8.1%Appeal to Emotion22.6%This article: 2.7%Carlos Garcia: 1.0%Blaze Media: 1.5%Begging the Question2.7%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 2.0%Blaze Media: 2.5%Post Hoc (False Cause)0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.3%Blaze Media: 0.2%Tu Quoque0.0%This article: 8.4%Carlos Garcia: 1.1%Blaze Media: 1.0%Burden of Proof8.4%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.0%Blaze Media: 0.3%Appeal to Nature0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.0%Blaze Media: 0.3%Composition/Division0.0%This article: 10.2%Carlos Garcia: 2.3%Blaze Media: 2.6%Anecdotal10.2%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.1%Blaze Media: 0.2%No True Scotsman0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 2.0%Blaze Media: 2.0%Ambiguity (Equivocation)0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.0%Blaze Media: 0.0%Gambler’s Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.1%Blaze Media: 0.1%Middle Ground0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.1%Blaze Media: 0.1%Personal Incredulity0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.1%Blaze Media: 0.2%Special Pleading0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.4%Blaze Media: 0.3%Genetic Fallacy0.0%This article: 11.6%Carlos Garcia: 3.6%Blaze Media: 2.7%Unattributed Quote11.6%This article: 10.2%Carlos Garcia: 3.8%Blaze Media: 2.2%Quote-first Misdirection10.2%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 5.7%Blaze Media: 10.4%Biased Writer Voice0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 2.4%Blaze Media: 4.6%Indoctrination0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 0.9%Blaze Media: 0.4%Politically Left Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 5.8%Blaze Media: 7.1%Politically Right Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Carlos Garcia: 3.7%Blaze Media: 2.6%Attempt to Sell a Product or S…0.0%

371 words analyzed.

Speakers

4speakers47%attributed speech195writer words
Voice mapSelect a segment to jump to its words
Writer's voice • 16 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 19 words • 0.0% coverageIllinois State Police • 21 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 16 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 22 words • 100.0% coverageBrendan Kelly • 30 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 28 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 15 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 21 words • 100.0% coverageLamarian Smiley • 25 words • 0.0% coverageLamarian Smiley • 24 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 18 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 1 words • 0.0% coverageLamarian Smiley • 16 words • 0.0% coverageLamarian Smiley • 17 words • 0.0% coverageLamarian Smiley • 15 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 2 words • 0.0% coverageClair County State's Attorney's Office • 18 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 19 words • 0.0% coverageLamarian Smiley • 10 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 2 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 16 words • 0.0% coverage
Selected voice

Lamarian Smiley

100%flagged-word coverage
107 attributed words61% of attributed speech75% writer coverage
0%12.5%25.0%Unattributed Quote-22.1 ptsWriter: 22.1%Lamarian Smiley: 0.0%0.0%Quote-first Misdirection-19.5 ptsWriter: 19.5%Lamarian Smiley: 0.0%0.0%

Attribution is sentence-level. Pattern percentages are calculated only from words assigned to that voice.

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Analysis

Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.