30-year-old charged with murder in connection with train shooting near Chicago that killed 4 passengers, authorities say

(CNN) — A Chicago man has been charged with murder in connection with the fatal shootings of four passengers who appeared to be sleeping on a Chicago Transit Authority train Monday morning, authorities say.

Rhanni S. Davis, 30, was charged Tuesday with four counts of first-degree murder, the Forest Park Police Department said in a news release. Davis will appear in court Wednesday afternoon, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said during a news conference Tuesday evening.

Davis was detained about 90 minutes after the shooting was reported around 5:30 a.m. on the Blue Line train heading to the Forest Park suburb west of downtown.

Police recovered a Glock 43 9mm pistol that they confirmed Tuesday was the weapon used in the shooting.

Police also emphasized Tuesday they believe this was an isolated and random attack. There is no identified motive at this time, Forest Park Police Department Det. Lt. Dan Pater said during the news conference.

“Allegedly, this man came onto a train while people were sleeping … and pumped bullets into their bodies,” Foxx told reporters. “We want answers. Right now, we don’t have an answer as to why anyone would engage in such a heinous, heinous act. But as it stands … we have enough for the purposes of charging first-degree murder.”

The early morning shooting happened in two train cars, where three victims were shot in one car and the fourth in another, with a total of six rounds, police said.

Three victims were pronounced dead on scene and the fourth was taken to a hospital in Maywood, where they were later pronounced dead, police said in a news release.

Three of the four passengers were 60-year-old Adrian Collins, 28-year-old Simeon Bihesi and 64-year-old Margaret A. Miller, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office told CNN on Tuesday. The other victim was a man, but no additional identifying information was available as police said they are still trying to reach the man’s family.

Surveillance video was instrumental in identifying the suspect, police said.

CTA’s Blue Line spans 27 miles between O’Hare International Airport and Forest Park, passing through or near dozens of neighborhoods and downtown Chicago. Service on the line resumed Monday evening.

The victims may have been homeless, Forest Park Deputy Chief Chris Chin told CNN Monday, but Pater indicated Tuesday they “don’t have any information that proves or disproves otherwise.”

“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.

“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.”

Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins said the shooting is an “outlier” for the city.

Hours after the shooting, another passenger was seriously injured in a stabbing on the Red Line, Chicago police said in a statement. The incident began as a verbal altercation between a 37-year-old victim and an unknown man, who at some point took out a “sharp object” and repeatedly stabbed the victim, police said.

“The victim fled from the train at the Wilson Red Line station, and relocated, on foot, to the 4700 block of N. Broadway. The victim was then transported to Illinois Masonic Hospital initially listed in critical condition,” police told CNN.

A suspect in the stabbing has yet to be found and detectives are investigating.

This story has been updated with additional information.

The-CNN-Wire

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