FOREST PARK, Illinois (CBS) — A man was charged Tuesday afternoon in a mass shooting that left four people died on a CTA Blue Line train in West suburban Forest Park the day before.
Rhanni Davis, 30, Chicago, was charged with four counts of first-degree murder, according to Forest Park police, who announced the charges Tuesday evening along with Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx and Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval Carter.
District Forest Park Police
The four victims were passengers on a Blue Line train heading to the Forest Park terminal when they were shot shortly before 5:30 p.m.
Police said three victims were found dead at the scene. The fourth victim was taken to a local hospital, where he died. Officials have identified the two victims as of Tuesday evening—Simeon Bihesi, a 28-year-old man, and Adrian Collins, a 60-year-old man.
Collins died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen, while Bihesi died of multiple gunshot wounds.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said one of the other two victims is a 52-year-old man and the other is a 64-year-old woman.
CTA security and Forest Park Police located the suspected shooter using surveillance video. The suspect was located on the CTA Pink Line Train and taken into custody later Friday morning.
A weapon was recovered. The gun is a 9mm Glock 43 with six rounds, according to Forest Park police Lt. Daniel Pater, who is in charge of the investigation unit.
Police said the shooting appeared to be an isolated incident and that the suspect did not seem to know any of the victims, who all appeared to be sleeping on the train. Police also said the shooter was trying to rob the victim and that the attack was random.
“We should be free to ride the train, do yard work, hang out with friends on our front porch,” Foxx said. “Public transportation should be a safe place for everyone.”
Foxx emphasized that just two weeks ago Chicago lit up—and hosted more than 50,000 people—for the Democratic National Convention.
Foxx added that there are no answers yet about the motive for the “horrific act,” and he fears there never will be.
Meanwhile, Carter said CTA employees immediately began helping police as soon as they learned of the heinous crime—helping with tasks like reviewing security camera footage. He also focused on CTA’s own emphasis on safety.
“To our riders, we want you to know that we hear you, and we understand your concerns about safety. The men and women of the CTA are united in our commitment to ensure that we do everything in our power to protect our riders. , as well as our employees ,” Carter said.
Carter said he could not say whether the four people who were shot and killed on the train were homeless.
“What I can tell you is that on the issue of homelessness itself, we have engaged and provided more resources to support the homeless in the CTA than in the history of our agency,” he said.
This effort includes partnership with social institutions the representatives in the system every night to provide unhoused options other than sleeping in the CTA.
But Carter added that the CTA alone cannot solve crises such as homelessness and addiction.
last week, CTA announced it is rolling out a pilot program involving AI gun detection technology in its system. Carter said the program was not a factor in this case.
All mass shootings are caught on camera
Cameras on the train captured everything that happened during the mass shooting. CBS News Chicago said the video was shocking, and will be used as evidence.
“It’s unusual to have so many murders on a CTA train,” CBS News Chicago Legal Analyst Irv Miller said. “The CTA has more cameras — high-definition cameras — than anywhere else in the entire county, so somebody has to say, ‘I’m going to do this, and I don’t care if I get caught.'”
Davis has been jailed several times since 2014—and he was sentenced to two years of probation for a misdemeanor battery charge last year. He also pleaded guilty to indecency in 2020.
If Davis is convicted of four counts of first-degree murder, the only sentence applicable in Illinois is natural life in prison without parole. Miller explained that the question of mental state was really the only defense that applied in Davis’ case.
“There are defenses under the law, and one of the defenses that comes to my mind in cases like this is the defense of insanity. If it’s raised, it doesn’t make any difference if it’s on videotape or not. The question is what is the person’s mental state – is this person capable of criminal conduct. ?” Miller said. “So when you shoot four people while they’re sleeping—and it’s caught on videotape—frankly, there’s not a lot of defense available to you.”
Mass shooting happened as CTA Chairman Carter already in the fire-with ask for resignation has been created title back in May. Some Chicago alderpeople’s disdain for Carter has been renewed in light of the assassination.
Meanwhile, the Forest Park Blue Line terminal has been an area of ​​concern for law enforcement for some time. Taman Hutan village leaders say problems at the terminal have been going on for years—and are getting worse.
Foxx said Davis will appear for a detention hearing at Maybrook Court in Maywood at noon Friday.
