Four people were shot dead while they were sleeping on a Chicago Transit Authority train in a suburban village on Monday morning, according to police.
Police responded to a report of a shooting at the CTA Blue Line Station in Forest Park — located just west of Chicago in Cook County — around 5:30 a.m. and found four men shot, ABC Chicago reported.
Three victims were declared dead at the scene while a fourth was rushed to Loyola University Medical Center where they died from their wounds, Deputy Chief Christopher Chin told The Post.
The shooter fled the scene. However a suspect armed with a gun was later taken into custody on a CTA Pink Line train in Chicago, according to ABC.
Charges are still pending, cops said.
Police said the shooting happened on two different train cars. Three victims, who were not sitting with each other, were found dead in one car and the fourth victim in a second.
“Watching the video, it appeared that all four of our victims were asleep at the time that the shooting occurred. We don’t believe that they’re all that they’re [connected]” Chin told The Post.
Chin explained that Forest Park is the terminus of the CTA’s 24-hour-service Blue Line, which runs from Chicago O’Hare International Airport to the village of about 14,000 people.
“It’s not uncommon to, let’s say, in the winter months to have people who are either homeless or down on their luck or just, you know, maybe they get kicked out of their apartment or they got into an argument with their significant other,” Chin said. “So people just either spend the night on the train or just hang out there.”
The victims’ names will be released pending proper family notification, according to police.
Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins told ABC Chicago that there has been a surge in police calls at the station for issues like drug overdoses.
“Over the last two years, our number of responses have increased exponentially,” Hoskins said.
The mayor proposed additional security on trains.
The CTA has installed a new “zero eyes” security system, which monitors platforms 24/7 surveillance in select stations, according to the outlet. However, Forest Park is not one of those stations.
“We’re calling on our leadership, countywide, statewide, to invest more resources to support a small community like Forest Park,” Hoskins said.
The CTA condemned the “heinous and egregious act of violence” that “should never have occurred” and said it would continue working with law enforcement as the investigation continues.
“We extend our condolences to those who lost their loved ones as a result of this senseless act of crime – our thoughts and prayers are with them,” the agency told The Post in a statement.
