Another Salem whodunit has finally been solved. More than four months after EJ DiMera was shot in his own living room, the identity of his assailant was revealed on Days of Our Lives‘ Aug. 19 episode.

While EJ’s son Johnny was initially suspected to be the sh00ter, a hypnosis session with Marlena helped EJ remember that it was a woman who pulled the trigger. This redirected suspicions to Johnny’s wife Chanel, who was recorded threatening EJ shortly before the incident occurred — that is, until the video was discovered to be a deepfake, at which point Johnny fired EJ as his lawyer and decided to represent himself. (Yes, EJ was originally defending his own son at his own attempted murder trial. This is still Salem, after all!)

EJ even tried to accuse Belle, who’s both EJ’s ex-girlfriend and the prosecution, of sh00ting him. He inferred that Marlena thought Belle did it after EJ recalled a woman sh00ting him during his hypnosis session, which led Belle to believe that whoever shot EJ is someone that both he and Marlena would want to protect. But who?

The big reveal came in the final moments of Tuesday’s episode, when EJ at last remembered the events of that fateful night. As many viewers (but apparently no one in Salem) suspected, the sh00ter was none other than EJ’s 10-year-old niece Rachel, the daughter of his sister Kristen.

Alice Halsey as Rachel DiMera

In a haunting flashback, EJ remembered his niece demanding to find out where her grandmother went. EJ swore he didn’t know, but Rachel pulled the trigger anyway, then left her uncle for d3ad on his living room floor.

It’s the kind of jaw-dropping twist that only Salem could deliver, and after months of wild theories, red herrings, and heart-stopping suspense, the truth is finally out: the person who shot EJ DiMera in cold blood was not a vengeful lover, a bitter rival, or even a desperate family member—at least not in the way anyone expected. In a shocking reveal that left viewers gasping, the sh00ter was unveiled on the August 19 episode of “Days of Our Lives,” and it was none other than EJ’s own 10-year-old niece, Rachel, the daughter of his infamous sister Kristen. Yes, you read that right—a child, caught up in the tangled web of DiMera family secrets and Salem’s endless cycle of betrayals, pulled the trigger and left her uncle for d3ad on his own living room floor.

For months, fans have been glued to their screens, dissecting every clue, every whispered threat, and every suspicious glance. The sh00ting itself was a classic Salem cliffhanger: EJ, suave and scheming as ever, was gunned down in the supposed safety of his own home, sending shockwaves through the DiMera clan and the entire town. The list of suspects was as long as it was complicated, with everyone from his own son Johnny to his ex-girlfriend Belle falling under suspicion. In true “Days” fashion, the story twisted and turned with every episode, keeping viewers guessing and social media buzzing.

At first, all eyes were on Johnny, EJ’s son, who had motive, opportunity, and a complicated relationship with his father. The police, the family, and even some fans were convinced that Johnny, perhaps pushed too far by EJ’s machinations, had finally snapped. But then came the hypnosis session with Marlena—Salem’s resident therapist and miracle worker—who helped EJ recover a crucial memory: his assailant was a woman. Suddenly, the spotlight shifted. Johnny was off the hook, but the question remained—who was the woman with the gun?

Suspicion quickly fell on Chanel, Johnny’s wife, who had been recorded threatening EJ shortly before the sh00ting. The evidence seemed damning, and for a moment, it looked like the case was closed. But in a twist worthy of the show’s most outrageous plots, the video was revealed to be a deepfake, throwing the investigation into chaos. Johnny, furious and betrayed, fired EJ as his lawyer—yes, EJ had been defending his own son at his own attempted murder trial, because in Salem, nothing is ever simple—and decided to represent himself. The courtroom drama only added fuel to the fire, as old alliances crumbled and new enemies emerged.

Even Belle, who has worn more hats in Salem than most people wear in a lifetime—ex-girlfriend, prosecutor, confidante—found herself in the crosshairs. EJ, desperate to clear his name and find the truth, tried to pin the blame on her, inferring that Marlena’s hypnosis session pointed to Belle as the sh00ter. Belle, for her part, began to suspect that whoever pulled the trigger was someone both she and Marlena would want to protect. The tension was palpable, the stakes higher than ever, and the truth seemed further away with every passing day.

But “Days of Our Lives” has always thrived on the unexpected, and in the final moments of Tuesday’s episode, the pieces finally fell into place. In a haunting flashback, EJ remembered the events of that fateful night with chilling clarity. His niece Rachel, just ten years old but already bearing the weight of the DiMera legacy, confronted him in his living room, demanding to know where her grandmother had gone. EJ, caught off guard and perhaps underestimating the depth of her pain and confusion, insisted he didn’t know. But Rachel, driven by a child’s desperation and a family history of violence, pulled the trigger and left her uncle bleeding on the floor.

It’s a reveal that hits hard, not just because of the shocking identity of the sh00ter, but because of what it says about life in Salem. The DiMeras have always been a family defined by their secrets, their vendettas, and their willingness to do whatever it takes to protect their own. But now, that darkness has touched the youngest generation, and the consequences will reverberate for months to come. Rachel’s actions are a stark reminder that in Salem, no one is ever truly innocent, and the sins of the parents are visited upon the children in ways that are both tragic and inevitable.

For viewers, the reveal is both devastating and strangely fitting. Rachel’s mother Kristen is one of Salem’s most notorious villains, a woman whose schemes and betrayals have left a trail of broken hearts and shattered lives. That her daughter would be caught in the crossfire—literally and figuratively—is a heartbreaking echo of the cycles of pain that define the DiMera family. And yet, there’s a sense of empathy, too; Rachel is just a child, lost in a world she can barely understand, acting out of fear and confusion rather than malice.

The fallout from the reveal is sure to be explosive. How will Kristen react when she learns what her daughter has done? Will EJ seek justice, or will he try to protect his niece from the consequences of her actions? And what about the rest of Salem, a town where secrets never stay buried for long? The story is far from over, and if history is any guide, it’s only going to get more complicated from here.

Alice Halsey, who plays Rachel, delivered a performance that was both chilling and heartbreaking, capturing the innocence and torment of a child thrust into a world of adult problems. The flashback scene, with Rachel demanding answers and ultimately pulling the trigger, was one of the most haunting moments in recent “Days” history, and a testament to the show’s willingness to tackle difficult, emotional storylines.

As the credits rolled and the dust settled, fans took to social media to express their shock, disbelief, and, in many cases, admiration for the writers’ boldness. “Only in Salem,” one viewer tweeted, “could a 10-year-old be the prime suspect in a murder mystery and somehow it makes perfect sense.” Others praised the show for its willingness to push boundaries and explore the darker side of family loyalty.

In the end, the reveal of Rachel as EJ’s sh00ter is classic “Days of Our Lives”—unexpected, emotional, and sure to have lasting repercussions. It’s a reminder that in Salem, nothing is ever as it seems, and the answers to the biggest mysteries are often hiding in plain sight. As the town reels from the news and the DiMera family grapples with the fallout, one thing is certain: viewers will be tuning in, day after day, to see what happens next.

Because in Salem, the past is never really past, and every answer only leads to more questions. The mystery may be solved, but the real drama is just beginning