CTA Blue Line shooting at Chicago’s Forest Park leaves 4 homeless dead in robbery in what Illinois authorities are describing as a random incident. Identity of gunman and victims’ not revealed.
A gunman suspect is in custody after shooting and killing four passengers on a Chicago area train line, in what authorities now believe was a random attack early Monday morning.
Police responded to the scene after a 911 call Monday morning just after 5.30am about a suspected mass shooting at the Forest Park CTA Blue Line station at 711 Desplaines Avenue in Forest Park, Illinois.
Three people were pronounced dead at the scene and a fourth died at the hospital.
Blue Line shooter executed 4 homeless victims as they slept
A suspect fled the scene but was later taken into custody on a CTA Pink Line train in Chicago, ABC 7 reported.
A gun was recovered during the arrest, police said.
Forest Park authorities told NBC Chicago the crime scene spanned two cars on a westbound train early Monday morning. Police said they received a 911 call just before 5:30 a.m. of several people shot on a train at the Forest Park CTA Blue Line station. Upon arriving at the scene and clearing the train and platform they came across a total of three fatal victims along with a fourth person who died en route to hospital.
Officials said the Labor Day shooting incident appears to be isolated and that no further threat to the public existed.
‘The victims, they were all passengers on the train early this morning,’ said Forest Park Deputy Chief Chris Chin.
The CTA said in a statement: ‘Although this was an isolated incident, this heinous and egregious act of violence should never have occurred, none the less on a public transit train.
‘As soon as this matter was reported, CTA 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.’
Robbery may have been a motive according to Forest Park Review.
Reported CBS News: ‘Police said it did not appear the shooter knew any of the victims, who all appeared to be homeless people riding the train. Police also said it did not appear that the shooting involved a robbery, and that the attack was completely random.’
Authorities to date declined to release the identity of the gunman along with the victims’ identities.
Blue Line service was suspended for hours due to the police investigation, the CTA reported. Trains were running with ‘residual delays,’ however, by 10 a.m.
Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins said the shooting was an ‘outlier’ but said first reponders are frequently sent to the Blue Line station, calling for more safety resources.
Less than a week ago the CTA announced it would implement an AI-based program that would notify police when guns are detected at train stations.
Chicago crime stats show the city hit a decade high for murders in 2023, seeing 617 deaths just last year, the most in the nation for a major city.
Las month, a member of the Texas Democratic Delegation was robbed at gunpoint during the party’s national convention.
Forest Park police along with the West Suburban Major Crimes Task Force are investigating.
Anyone with information on the shooting was asked to contact Forest Park police at (708) 366-2425.
