4 people shot dead on subway train near Chicago, suspect in custody

(CNN) — Four people are dead following a mass shooting aboard a Chicago transit train Monday morning, police said.

“The victims, they were all passengers on the train early this morning,” said Forest Park Deputy Chief Chris Chin. “The train was in motion on the way into Forest Park.”

Each of the victims appeared to have been sleeping when they were shot, and may have been homeless, Chin told CNN.

A suspect is in custody for the shooting, which police believe to be an isolated incident and a random attack.

Investigators are working with the Chicago Transit Authority to review surveillance footage of the shooting, which police said happened in two train cars: three in one car and the fourth in another.

Police said surveillance video was instrumental in identifying the suspect, who was taken into custody about an hour and a half after the shooting. Chin told CNN the suspect likely exited the train at the Harlem stop on CTA’s Blue Line. He eventually got on the Pink Line, where he was apprehended by police. Law enforcement also recovered a firearm.

“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,” the transit authority said in a statement.

Police did not immediately release any information about the victims but said their next of kin are being notified.

“This obviously is shocking, you know, it is uncommon to have a mass shooting like this,” said Chin. “This is an isolated incident, so it can happen anywhere. Obviously, there’s a little bit more concern because it is on a mass transit system,” he added. “For people to feel unsafe, it’s justified.”

CTA’s Blue Line spans 27 miles between O’Hare International Airport to Forest Park, passing through or near dozens of neighborhoods and downtown Chicago.

Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins said during a news conference the police and fire departments respond to the same area of Forest Park “probably more than any other location in our jurisdiction,” appealing to state leadership for additional public safety resources and law enforcement personnel.

He said he has traveled to Springfield in the past to call for more resources to deal with mental health and opioid addiction.

The mayor described this shooting an “outlier,” saying the city hasn’t really experienced this kind of shooting before.

There have been 377 mass shootings in the United States so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive , which, like CNN, defines a mass shooting as one with four or more victims, not including the shooter. There have been an average of 1.5 mass shootings per day in the US in 2024.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

The-CNN-Wire

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