Chicago train shooting leaves multiple dead on Labor Day

A shooting on a commuter train outside Chicago on Labor Day morning left four people dead, police have said.

Three people were pronounced dead on Monday at the Forest Park station, an above-ground stop on the Chicago Transit Authority's Blue Line. The fourth victim died at a hospital.

The suspect got away but was subsequently arrested on a train on a different route, Forest Park police said.

"A weapon was recovered," Forest Park Deputy Chief Chris Chin told reporters. "There is no immediate threat. This appears to be an isolated incident on this unfortunate day."

Police were called around 5:30 am. Chin said he had no immediate information to disclose about the victims. He called the shooting "shocking" and "horrible."

"This heinous and egregious act of violence should never have occurred, nonetheless, on a public transit train," the Chicago Transit Authority, known as CTA, said.

CTA said security camera video "proved to be vital" in helping investigators.

Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins said his community, population 14,000, is the only Chicago suburb in Cook County where two major train lines end.

"It's a horrible tragedy that four people are dead on Labor Day weekend," Hoskins said. "Our police department and our fire department respond to this location probably more than any other location in our jurisdiction."

Spree of violence

There have been roughly 380 mass shootings across the US in 2024 so far, according to Gun Violence Archive.

At least 11,468 people have been killed in gun violence, as per GVA.

In June, the US surgeon general issued a landmark advisory declaring gun violence a "public health crisis" and calling for wide-ranging firearm controls that have historically been quashed by political opposition.

Firearms in recent years have become the leading cause of death for Americans aged between one and 19, above motor vehicles, the report said.