Updated September 04, 2024 at 05:20 AM ET
Police have identified the suspect who is accused of shooting and killing four people on a Chicago-area train, authorities announced Tuesday.
Rhanni Davis, 30, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder after four people were shot across two train cars in Forest Park, Illinois, a village 10 miles west of Chicago.
Police were dispatched to a train station in Forest Park at about 5:30 a.m. after receiving a call that three people were shot. Three people were pronounced dead on the scene, while one was transported to the hospital and died there, Forest Park police said.
The train was in motion on the system’s blue line, and the shooting happened across two cars, police said.
“There is an absolute urgent need to address safety in our communities," Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx said. "We should be free to ride the train, to do yard work, gather with friends on a front porch. Public transportation should be a safe space for everyone and we must work together to ensure that every resident feels secure in their daily lives, whether at home, at work, and traveling on our transit systems. No place or time should be off limits because of crime.”
Davis initially escaped from the scene, but was later found through Chicago Transit Authority surveillance video, on the platform of a different station. Police also recovered a 9mm handgun in their possession. The weapon matched the six casings found on the train cars, police said.
Davis makes his first court appearance Wednesday, Foxx said. No motive has been established, authorities said.
“This is an isolated incident, so it can happen anywhere,” Forest Park Police Deputy Chief Christopher Chin said Monday. “Obviously, there’s a little bit more concern because it is on a mass transit system, but understand that there are security measures in place, not only by our local police departments that run along the line, but also CTA, as well.”
Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins said the village’s fire and police departments are dispatched to the train station often. He added that village officials have petitioned to state leadership to allocate more resources to Forest Park for mental health and opioid addiction.
“To the extent that out leaders in Springfield [Illinois] are considering any kind of CTA mass transit reorganization, we would ask them to consider investing additional resources in terms of safety, 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 in Forest Park,” he said Monday.
CTA President Dorval Carter said the agency is constantly investing in its security measures, including expanding and upgrading its 30,000-camera system, hiring more security guards and recruiting more volunteer police officers.
The Chicago Police Department provides officers for CTA through its transit unit.
“To our riders, we want you to know that we hear you and we understand your concerns about safety," Carter said. "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.”
Information on the victims has not been released yet. Three of the victims' next-of-kin have been contacted, police said.
Copyright 2024 NPR
