Police release sickening new details on Chicago shooting that killed four homeless people

Police have released new sickening updates on the Chicago mass shooting that killed four homeless people on Labor Day.

Authorities were contacted at around 5.30am on Monday after several people were shot on a train at the Forest Park CTA Blue Line station. Once at the scene, officers emptied the station and discovered that four people had been shot on the train.

Three of them were pronounced dead at the scene, while a fourth was transported to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead a short time later. The identities of the victims haven't been released but according to records from the Cook County Medical Examiner, three of them were male and one was female.

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In a recent update released on the incident, the Forest Park Police Department said the victims appeared to be asleep and were seated apart from each other when they were shot dead. Forest Park Deputy Chief Chris Chin said at a news conference that a suspect had been taken into custody and a weapon was recovered.

Chin said the shooting took place on two train cars. He added that the train was in motion when shots were fired. Police said the suspect, whose description was provided by security video, was found on a Pink line train.

In an update, police said investigators were also trying to track down a person they believed witnessed the attack. The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) described the shooting as a "heinous and egregious act of violence" that should have never happened on public transport.

The CTA added: "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." Chin said surveillance video is key during police investigations, especially during incidents like this shooting.

The motive remains unknown, and police have not released the name of the person in custody. Chin said: "This appears to be an isolated incident on this unfortunate day. It's a horrible situation." The suburb of Forest Park is located 10 miles west of downtown Chicago and has a population of around 14,000 people.

Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins called on city and state leaders for more resources on public transport saying during a press conference: "Over the last two years, our number of responses have increased exponentially, so we are counting on leaders countywide, statewide, to invest in more resources to support a small community like Forest Park and securing this area." State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford also released a statement extending condolences to the families of the victims and calling for more safety measures to be introduced.

The statement read: "As a Representative of Forest Park, we extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims of this horrific tragedy that occurred on the CTA Blue Line in Forest Park. This act of senseless violence has shaken our community, and we stand firmly with Mayor Rory Hoskins in calling for more extraordinary safety measures and resources to prevent such incidents from happening again."

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Forest Park police said in a statement shared on Facebook: "On 09/02/2024 at 0527 hrs, Forest Park Police Department received a 911 call of three subjects shot on the train at the Forest Park CTA Blueline Station at 711 Desplaines Ave., Forest Park. Police responded and cleared the station, locating four shooting victims.

"Three were pronounced dead on scene, the fourth was transported to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where they were later pronounced. The offender was no longer on scene and made good on their escape.

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"Forest Park Police working with CTA Security were able to locate an offender description through video surveillance. Chicago Police Department located a subject matching the description on a CTA Pink Line Train and the subject was taken into custody. A firearm was recovered.

"Forest Park Police Detectives along with the West Suburban Major Crimes Task Force have taken over this investigation. This appears to be an isolated incident with no immediate threat to the community. Anyone with information regarding these incidents is encouraged to contact the Forest Park Police Department Criminal Investigations Division at: (708)366-2425 or email at Detectives@ForestPark.net."