Police have arrested Rhanni Davis, 30, of Chicago, in connection with the shooting deaths of four people on the Blue Line train between the Austin stop and the end of the line at 711 Des Plaines Ave. in Forest Park.
At Davis’ pre-trial detention hearing Wednesday, he was ordered held without bond. Davis is expected to appear next in court at the end of the month. A motive is still unknown.
“Before this incident and going forward, Forest Park has enjoyed a good partnership with the CTA,” said Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins at a press conference Tuesday night. “This was an incredibly unfortunate act, a criminal act, a loss of life that we all grieve for.”
At the press conference, Forest Park police announced that Davis faces charges on four counts of first-degree murder through the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.
When Forest Park police responded to a 911 call just before 5:30 a.m. on Labor Day morning, they found three people unresponsive and bleeding from their heads from gunshot wounds on train car 3219, according to the police report. They were pronounced dead on the scene.
The victims have been identified as Simeon Bihesi, 28, Margaret Miller, 64, and Sean Jones, 52, according to the report from Cook County’s Office of the Medical Examiner and the Chicago Sun-Times. In train car 3220, 60-year-old Adrian Collins was found unresponsive with an apparent gunshot wound to the abdomen. Collins was taken to Loyola University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The fourth victim has been identified as a 52-year-old man. His name has not been released.
The victims were all sleeping on the train, authorities said, but it hasn’t been confirmed whether they were unhoused.
“This tragedy is a devastating reminder of the realities that people face when they do not have a safe place to sleep,” officials from Housing Forward said in a statement. “This event underscores the urgent need for compassionate and effective solutions to address the root causes of homelessness.”
At the press conference, Forest Park’s Deputy Chief of Police Christopher Chin thanked those who helped find and identify Davis.
“Through coordinated efforts between Forest Park Police Department, Chicago Transit Authority, their security teams, as well as Chicago Police Department, we were able to find a subject description of the offender,” Chin said.
“Surveillance video was key,” added Forest Park Police Department Detective Lieutenant Daniel Pater.
Davis was located at the California stop on the CTA Pink Line about 90 minutes after the murders and was taken into custody on the station’s platform and police recovered their firearm, a Glock 43 that fired six rounds.
“The weapon recovered from the offender is in fact the murder weapon,” Pater said. He added that the Forest Park Police Department hasn’t had any previous contact with Davis.
According to Kim Foxx, Cook County’s state’s attorney, there is no motive at this time.
“A full recitation of the facts will be given tomorrow at first appearance court at Maywood at noon,” Foxx said at the news conference.
Dorval Carter, CTA President, assured the public that the CTA is doing everything in its power to keep its riders and employees safe. He said the CTA continually invests in security measures, like the expansion and upgrade of nearly 30,000 security cameras and security personnel.
The CTA is also testing new technology, like the artificial intelligence technology that detects firearms on CTA property that was announced at the end of August. The pilot use of this technology wasn’t a factor in locating or identifying Davis, Carter said.
“This heinous crime has shaken our community. Not just the residents in Forest Park, but all who rely on CTA for transportation,” Carter said. “We pray for those who lost their lives, and offer our sincere condolences to their loved ones.”
Pater said police had successfully contacted next of kin for three of the four victims.
While the Forest Park’s Blue Line station has long been a hot spot of criminal activity — and police often patrol the area as part of routine premise checks, according to village police reports — officials assured the media that the shooting was an isolated incident.
“In my career as CTA, I can’t recall any sort of mass killing like this ever occurring,” said Carter, who became president in 2015.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Davis has been charged in six criminal cases in Cook County since November 2012.
“I think it is safe to say that this was a random attack,” Foxx said. “As this case plays out in court, many of these questions will be answered. I fear, however, the question of ‘Why?’ may never be answered.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for more.
Update, Sept. 5, 12:52 p.m.: The article was updated with information about Rhanni Davis’ pre-trial.
Update, Sept. 6, 4:35 p.m.: The article was updated with information about the fourth victim.
