Man charged after shooting four people on Chicago train

A 30-year-old Chicago man has been charged with murder after four people were fatally shot on a train, authorities said.

The suspect, who Forest Park police identified as Rhanni Davis, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder.

Police said all of the victims were apparently asleep on a Blue Line train in the Chicago suburb of Forest Park when they were shot just before 5:30 a.m. local time (10:30 GMT) on Monday.

According to police, three victims were found dead at the scene, while the fourth died later in hospital.

The two victims were identified by authorities as Simeon Bihesi, 28, and Adrian Collins, 60.

The Cook County Coroner’s Office later said one of the other two victims was a 64-year-old woman named Margaret Miller. The fourth victim was identified as a man, but his name has not yet been released.

Forest Park Deputy Police Chief Christopher Chin said the shooting was likely a “random act of violence,” adding that the gunman “shot four victims while they were literally sleeping on the train.”

“It wasn’t a robbery. It didn’t look like he got into a fight with anyone else,” he said.

On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Kim Foxx called the shooting “inexplicable” and announced the charges.

“It’s terrifying,” she said. “We want answers.”

Police said surveillance footage shows the gunman walking through the train and shooting at four passengers who appeared to be sleeping in two different carriages. The four victims were not sitting together.

The suspect is due to appear in court on Wednesday.

The Blue Line train runs 24 hours a day between Forest Park and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. It is operated by the Chicago Transit Authority, the second-largest public transit system in the United States.

Gun violence is common in the United States, where the number of firearms outnumbers the population.

Louisiana police on Tuesday arrested an 11-year-old boy who is accused of fatally shooting the city’s former mayor and his daughter.