A suspected gunman in Illinois fatally shot four sleeping passengers on two public transit trains Monday morning, authorities said.
At around 5:30 a.m., the Forest Park Police Department received an emergency call stating that three people had been shot on a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) train, according to a department press release.
When police arrived, they found that four people had been shot in two separate train cars, pronouncing three dead on the scene while transporting the fourth to Loyola University Medical Center, the press release stated. The fourth victim later died in the hospital, police said.
Police said surveillance footage doesn’t show any arguments or confrontations and reveals that it is likely that the four victims were sleeping when they were shot, NBC Chicago reported.
Police used surveillance footage to track down and arrest the suspect two hours later onboard another CTA train, according to NBC Chicago. (RELATED: Six People Shot At Bronx Subway, One Dead, Police Say: REPORT)
Horrific details emerge in CTA train shooting that left 4 victims dead https://t.co/DUPBSo7weG
— NBC Chicago (@nbcchicago) September 2, 2024
Although a weapon was also found, police said it’s unclear if it was the one used in the apparently random attacks.
“This, you know, obviously is shocking,” Forest Park Deputy Police Chief Christopher Chin told NBC Chicago. “It is uncommon to have a mass shooting like this, especially this close to home.”
Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins told reporters, “Over the last two years our number of responses have increased exponentially. And, so, we’re calling on our leadership, county-wide, state-wide, to invest more resources to support a small community like Forest Park.”
The CTA issued a statement saying that the attack was “an isolated incident” that “should never have occurred,” according to NBC Chicago.
CTA added that it “immediately deployed resources to assist the Forest Park Police in their investigation into the matter, including review of all possible security camera footage, which proved to be vital in aiding local enforcement.”
The CTA also praised the work of the Forest Park and Chicago Police Departments “whose quick actions led to the apprehension of a suspect in this matter.”
The suspect is currently in custody though charges have not been filed, according to NBC Chicago.
