Blue Line shooting: No provocation before masked shooter opened fire, source says

FOREST PARK, Ill. — The shooter who opened fire on sleeping commuters aboard a Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line train on Monday morning was wearing a mask when he approached his victims, WGN Investigates has learned. There was no provocation before the gunfire, WGN is told.

While the shooter was masked during the shooting, surveillance cameras later recorded him without it. The suspect was detained about 90 minutes after the shooting on a Pink Line train at the California stop, authorities said.

At the time of the suspect’s arrest, a 43 9mm glock semiautomatic pistol was recovered from him. Further testing of the gun, along with the shell casings found on the train, confirmed the gun recovered from the suspect was the one used in the shooting.

Three of the four victims were identified Tuesday. Adrian Collins, 60, was shot in the abdomen. Simeon Bihesi, 28, had multiple gunshot wounds, officials said. Margaret Miller, 64, was also slain.

The alleged shooter, Rhanni S. Davis, 30, of Chicago, was charged with four counts of first-degree murder. Davis appears to have a history in multiple court cases under various names and addresses, including in Nashville, Tenn.

Davis has a court appearance scheduled for noon Wednesday at the Maywood Courthouse.

“I’m grieving. My heart goes out to those families and to those who lost their lives in this senseless, wicked act,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said at an unrelated event. “But it’s my effort to make sure that we are investing in people is still very much front and center.”

Blue Line service to and from the Forest Park Transit Center resumed Tuesday morning. Commuters who spoke with WGN outside the station, at 711 Des Plaines Avenue, said Monday morning’s massacre remained top-of-mind.

“This is tragic that this is happening in the community, and they need to do something,” said commuter Orlando Lee. Lee said more police to complement the K-9 security team already in place is needed, pointing out that groups of people often gather at the station without using the train or buses that stop there.

“They’re all day. They’re hanging out like it’s a social hour. And you have people out here that are just trying to make a living and just want better protection out here,” she said.

Morning commuter Ramis Wells said he generally finds the location to be safe but added: “There are some unsavory characters around that you will see frequently.”

At a Monday press event hours after the shooting, Forest Park authorities, including Mayor Hoskins, appealed to state lawmakers for more resources. Hoskins said his community’s police and fire departments respond to the station “probably more than any other location in our jurisdiction” for issues like homelessness and drug overdoses in and around the transit center.

“And so to the extent that our leaders in Springfield are considering any kind of CTA, mass-transit reorganization, we would ask them to consider investing additional resources — in terms of public safety, law enforcement personnel, what have you — to support a small community like Forest Park that has to respond to two major train lines ending (here).”

There’s been speculation that some of the victims may have been experiencing homelessness. WGN has not yet received confirmation about their housing status, but the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness released a statement , saying in part: “Everyone has the right to feel and be safe in our community, regardless of their housing status. Many people experiencing homelessness, when faced with many bad options, use public transportation as a space that offers a form of safety and community. The fact that the murderer took their lives in this space underlines how we have failed as a society.”

Earlier Tuesday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, speaking at an event in Skokie to tout electric vehicle rebates, said transit security remains a priority for his administration.

“I absolutely believe that as we look at the reforms that we’re making to our transit system that we need to be addressing the broader question of, you know, why aren’t we .. why isn’t there enough security being provided. Of course, Springfield is going to be a very important part of that. We’re not the only funder or the only available partner in that, but certainly we’re trying to put together a plan that makes sense for the future and that will keep people safe.

CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. spoke at a Tuesday evening press conference and expressed his condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims while addressing CTA riders’ concerns.

“To our riders, we want you to know that we hear you and we understand your concerns about safety. The men and women of CTA are united in our commitment to make sure we’re doing everything in our power to protect you, our riders, as well as our employees. We continually invest in security resources and measures and have done so in the last decade, which includes the expansion and upgrade of our network of nearly 30,000 security cameras, added security guards and expansion of our volunteer policing program to expand the presence of police across our system,” Carter said. “Plus, we continue to test out new technologies and deployment strategies. This heinous crime has shaken our community, not just the residents of Forest Park, but all who rely on CTA for transportation. We pray for those who lost their lives and offer our sincere condolences to their loved ones and all those affected by this terrible violence.”

Information about the fourth victim or what may have motivated Monday’s shooting has not been publicly released. At last check Tuesday afternoon, officials with the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said they were still in the process of contacting next-of-kin.

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