Four People Shot to Death While Sleeping on Chicago Commuter Train
Four people were fatally shot while sleeping on a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) train in a suburban village on Monday morning, September 2, according to police.
Officers responded to a report of a shooting at the CTA Blue Line Station in Forest Park, located just west of Chicago in Cook County, around 5:30 a.m. They found four men shot, ABC Chicago reported.
Three victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while a fourth was rushed to Loyola University Medical Center, where they later died from their injuries, Deputy Chief Christopher Chin told The Post.
The shooter fled the scene, but a suspect armed with a gun was later apprehended on a CTA Pink Line train in Chicago, according to ABC. Charges are still pending, police said.
The shooting occurred on two different train cars. Three victims, who were not sitting together, were found dead in one car, while the fourth victim was found in another.
“Watching the video, it appeared that all four of our victims were asleep at the time that the shooting occurred. We don’t believe they’re all connected,” Chin told The Post.
Chin explained that Forest Park is the terminus of the CTA’s 24-hour Blue Line service, which runs from Chicago O’Hare International Airport to the village of about 14,000 people.
“It’s not uncommon in the winter months to have people who are either homeless or down on their luck, or maybe they got kicked out of their apartment or had an argument with their significant other,” Chin said. “So people just either spend the night on the train or just hang out there.”
The victims’ names will be released pending proper family notification, according to police.
Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins told ABC Chicago that there has been a surge in police calls at the station for issues like drug overdoses.
“Over the last two years, our number of responses has increased exponentially,” Hoskins said.
The mayor proposed additional security measures on trains.
The CTA has installed a new “Zero Eyes” security system, which provides 24/7 surveillance of platforms at select stations, but Forest Park is not one of those stations.
“We’re calling on our leadership, countywide and statewide, to invest more resources to support a small community like Forest Park,” Hoskins said.
The CTA condemned the “heinous and egregious act of violence” that “should never have occurred” and said it would continue working with law enforcement as the investigation continues.
“We extend our condolences to those who lost their loved ones as a result of this senseless act of crime – our thoughts and prayers are with them,” the agency told The Post in a statement.