A Chicago man has been charged with murder in connection with the deadly gunshots of four passengers who seemed to be sleeping aboard a Chicago Transit Authority train Monday morning, according to officials.
Rhanni S. Davis, 30, was charged on Tuesday with four charges of first-degree murder, according to a Forest Park Police Department news release. Davis will appear in court on Wednesday afternoon, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced during a news conference Tuesday evening.
Davis was caught about 90 minutes after the incident, which occurred at 5:30 a.m. on the Blue Line train bound for the Forest Park suburb west of downtown.
Police seized a Glock 43 9mm pistol, which they confirmed on Tuesday was the weapon used in the shooting.
Police also stated Tuesday that they believe this was an isolated and random attack. Det. Lt. Dan Pater of the Forest Park Police Department remarked during the news conference that no motive has been established at this time.
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“Allegedly, this man came onto a train while people were sleeping … and pumped bullets into their bodies,” Foxx was quoted as saying. “We demand answers. Right now, we don’t know why somebody would commit such a horrific atrocity. Currently, we have enough evidence to charge first-degree murder.
The early morning incident occurred in two train coaches, with three people shot in one vehicle and the fourth in the other, totaling six shots, according to authorities.
Three victims were pronounced dead on the spot, while the fourth was transferred to a Maywood hospital and later confirmed dead, according to a news release from police.
Adrian Collins, 28, Simeon Bihesi, and Margaret A. Miller, 64, were three of the four passengers killed, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office. The other victim was a guy, but no further identifying information was released since police said they were still attempting to contact the man’s relatives.
According to authorities, surveillance video helped identify the culprit.
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The CTA’s Blue Line runs 27 miles from O’Hare International Airport to Forest Park, going through or near dozens of communities and downtown Chicago. The line’s service resumed Monday evening.
The victims could have been homeless, Forest Park Deputy Chief Chris Chin told CNN Monday, but Pater said 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 happened, let alone on a public transit train,” the transit authority said in a statement.
“This is shocking, you know, it is uncommon to have a mass shooting like this,” Chin went on. “This is a solitary instance, therefore it might happen anywhere. There’s a little more anxiety because it’s on a public transportation system,” he said. “For people to feel unsafe, it’s justified.”
Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins described the incident as an “outlier” in the city.
Hours after the shooting, another passenger was critically hurt in a stabbing on the Red Line, according to Chicago police. The incident began with a verbal dispute between a 37-year-old victim and an unknown man, who eventually pulled out a “sharp object” and repeatedly stabbed the victim, according to police.
“The victim fled the train at the Wilson Red Line station and walked to the 4700 block of North Broadway. “The victim was then transported to Illinois Masonic Hospital, where he was initially listed in critical condition,” authorities told CNN.
A suspect in the stabbing has yet to be identified, and authorities are investigating.