Chicagoan charged after 4 killed in CTA Blue Line shooting in Forest Park; 3 victims ID'd
3 victims ID'd as 60-year-old Adrian Collins, 28-year-old Simeon Bihesi, 64-year-old Margaret Miller
FOREST PARK, Ill. (WLS) -- Our coverage of this story has moved here.
A 30-year-old Chicagoan has been charged after four people were shot and killed while asleep on a CTA Blue Line train early Monday, police said Tuesday.
Rhanni S. Davis faces four counts of first-degree murder, Forest Park police said.
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Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins said the victims were sleeping when they were shot.
"Every loss of life is tragic, regardless of what their circumstances were. You know that they were special to somebody," Hoskins said. "This was an incredibly unfortunate act, a criminal act, the loss of life that we all grieve for."
The four adult victims are three men and one woman, police said. Three of the victims were found shot in one train car and one was found in another. Police said the victims were not robbed.
The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office identified three of the victims on Tuesday.
Adrian Collins, 60, suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
Simeon Bihesi, 28, was shot multiple times.
Margaret Miller, 64, suffered a gunshot wound to the head.
All three deaths are classified as homicides. Forest Park police said they are still trying to contact the fourth victim's next of kin.
Right now, we don't have an answer as to why anyone would engage in such a heinous, heinous actKim Foxx
There are still a lot of questions surrounding the shooting, including any possible motive.
At a Tuesday evening press conference, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx said, "it is safe to say this was a random attack."
"I fear the question of 'why' will never be answered," Foxx said. "It is horrific. We want answers. Right now, we don't have an answer as to why anyone would engage in such a heinous, heinous act."
Forest Park police said this is the first time they have had contact with that suspect, but added that he has a history of weapons offenses in Chicago.
Foxx said more details will be revealed at Davis' is court appearance, scheduled for Wednesday at noon.
CTA workers discovered the horrific scene around 5:30 a.m. Monday just as the inbound train arrived at the final stop.
The mayor of Forest Park said it is believed the shooting occurred closer to the Harlem Blue Line station.
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"These victims, likely, never saw it coming," Hoskins said. "They were executed on Labor Day. In our community, people go to the pool. They go to the park. You know, they barbecue. But, today, a lot of people were calling the mayor's office, expressing concern and asking if they were safe."
Davis, who still had a gun, was taken into custody after 90 minutes at the California CTA Pink Line station.
"Surveillance video was key. Absolutely, partnering with CTA security, that was absolutely key in apprehending the offender in this matter," said Forest Park Police Lt. Daniel Pater.
Police said the suspect was wearing a mask at times, and officers recovered at least six rounds.
One commuter said he is on edge after the shocking act of violence.
"I don't feel too unsafe," commuter Ramis Wells said. "I would say there needs to be action taken, a little bit more security measures taken."
There was a visible security presence at the station Tuesday morning.
"That's public transportation," commuter Mike Ganter said. "Somebody going to be on there. There's no way to stop or prevent that."
"More security, for real, for real," commuter Javari Dockery said. "We need more security. And people on the train because there don't be nobody on the train, so you're just on there with random people and anything can happen."
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson responded to the violence Tuesday morning.
"It's a tragedy," Johnson said. "The guns in this country are out of control. The access people have to guns is out of control, and it's very sickening."
It was not immediately clear if the CTA's new ZeroEyes security system, which is a 24/7 surveillance system that can detect guns at stations, was in use at the Forest Park station at the time of the incident.
"We need to be addressing the broader question of you know why aren't we, why isn't there enough security being provided?" said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
CTA officials said it is only installed at certain stations and not in the train cars themselves, but refused to specify at which stations the technology is located.
"We want to work closely with the CTA and maybe they can engage in some kind of security upgrades to hopefully see that this doesn't happen again or anytime soon," Hoskins said.
It's little comfort to commuter Orlanda Lee.
"People do not feel safe out here, I mean, just in communities, period," Lee said. "My point is they need to have more patrols, and they need to do something about the vagrancy."
Though officials have not confirmed whether or not the victims were experiencing homelessness, the head of CTA was asked if his agency has done enough to steer unhoused people to shelters.
"We are providing services to people on CTA that can provide them options other than sleeping on CTA if they so choose to take advantage of it," said CTA President Dorval Carter Jr.
Number of unhoused people on CTA trains is growing, advocacy groups say
Some advocacy groups say much is still needed that could have prevented this violence from happening.
Well before tragedy struck the CTA Blue Line, there was already another issue on the rise: the growing number of the unhoused on the tracks.
"So, when the incident happened over the weekend, it raised a red flag," said The Night Ministry Director of Health Outreach David Wywialowski.
For years, the Night Ministry, a homelessness advocacy group, has been on the frontlines of it all, helping those specifically at the very transit station in Forest Park where the gruesome discovery was made by CTA workers.
"It's very vulnerable to be homeless on the street or on the train. As we're finding out, it's very challenging for people that are unhoused," Wywialowski said.
State Rep. LaShawn Ford, who also represents Forest Park, says more needs to be done to address the root problem: drug use and mental health among the unhoused.
"This is heroin highway that we're standing on, which the train is a part of being using drugs, buying drugs," Ford said. "The West Side Heroin Task Force, they constantly report the need for housing. They constantly report the need for mental and behavioral health support for people. And, if we take it seriously, then we could prevent incidents like this from happening."
Luther Syas is the director of outreach for the West Side Heroin Task Force
"Trying to get people off the streets to save lives," Says said.
Ford went on to say that if a now-stalled bill called the 11-15 waiver passes, it could help state leaders better address health-related needed.
The Chicago Coalition to end Homelessness issued a statement about the shooting, saying, "Chicago Coalition to end Homelessness (CCH) is devastated to learn of the senseless murder of four people - Simeon Bihesi, Adrian Collins, and two other victims that have not yet been identified - on the CTA Blue Line on Monday, September 2. Our understanding is that most if not all were experiencing homelessness and sleeping on the train at the time of their murder. The murderer must be held to account for taking their lives and be held responsible for this heinous act. We extend our deepest sympathies to the friends and family of those lost.
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.
These murders are not a random act of violence but are a glaring example of a pattern of violence, suffering, and cruelty people experiencing homelessness face every day simply because they are unhoused. We cannot write this moment off as a tragic, isolated incident, but must acknowledge it is the direct result of the systemic failures which have led to over 68,000 people in Chicago alone experiencing homelessness.
The only real, sustainable solution is adequately funding permanent housing and other services that the unhoused need to truly feel safe and not only be protected from acts of violence but have a chance to grow and thrive. Our city, our county, our state, and our federal government must do more - more funding and better policies that protect and support the unhoused and get all of them the permanent housing and services they deserve. No one should be in harm's way the way these four victims were.
Our society continually makes excuses for why it is not the time to make real investments to solve the problem of homelessness. If not in a moment like this one, when?
