MAYWOOD, Ill. (AP) — The suspect in a mass killing on a Chicago-area transit train systematically shot three sleeping passengers at close range before before moving to a second train car and firing on a man who tried to shield himself, prosecutors said Wednesday.
New details about the Labor Day shooting that has rattled commuters in the Chicago area emerged during an initial court appearance where a judge ruled that Rhanni S. Davis, 30, would remain in custody until trial. Davis is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the killings aboard an L system Blue Line train that was approaching suburban Forest Park.
Prosecutors said Davis wore a mask as he moved from one victim to the next, but they did not offer a motive for the shooting.
One person, 64-year-old Margaret Miller, was shot in the back of the head, prosecutors said. Another victim — 60-year-old Adrian Collins — “raised his hand in a defensive posture” in trying to shield himself from the gunfire, Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Eugene Wood said in court. Collins, who was in the second train car, later died at an hospital.
Another victim was identified as Simeon Bihesi, 28, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. The name of a 52-year-old man who was killed has not been released because law enforcement has not been able to find relatives.
“The facts alleged by the state are absolutely horrific and appalling,” said Cook County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Ciaccia-Lezza.
She said evidence outlined in the suburban courtroom, including video footage, shell casings and tests showing gun residue on the suspect’s hands, showed Davis was a “real and present threat” to the public.
Davis, who wore a tan jail jumpsuit with tissues stuffed in the pocket, only said one word during the brief hearing, telling the judge “RAH-nee” when asked how to pronounce Rhanni.
The shooting, which occurred around 5 a.m. Monday on a train line that runs 24 hours a day, also has prompted questions about how the Chicago Transit Authority deals with homelessness. While authorities have not specified that the victims did not have homes, the medical examiners’ office said their addresses are unknown and law enforcement has been unable to find relatives of the 52-year-old.
Attorneys offered a few details about Davis, whose criminal history briefly outlined by prosecutors included a 2020 arrest for disorderly conduct.
Public defender Robert Fox said Davis graduated from Chicago Public Schools, trained to work in security and home health care, and briefly worked at Taco Bell.
Security was tight inside the small courtroom, filled with roughly a dozen armed officers. Davis was shackled at the feet, around the waist and hands. A guard kept one hand on Davis’ arm throughout the hearing.
On the same day, Forest Park police released some train station video related to the shooting. It included footage that appeared to show someone police believe was a witness jumping from a moving Blue Line train and onto an L station platform moments before Davis — wearing a dark top and black mask — walks off the train.
The Blue Line spans from O’Hare International Airport through downtown Chicago and the city’s West Side before ending at Forest Park, where over the years social service agencies have provided services to people who use the train as shelter, particularly in winter.
Organizations including the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless said the shooting shows the need for more funding for housing. Gov. JB Pritzker has said CTA security needs to be addressed.
Police used CTA video footage to find Davis hours after the shooting on another train, prosecutors said.
Davis’ next court date was set for Sept. 27.
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This version corrects some of the details revealed in court. Adrian Collins, 60, was the person who raised his hand to defend himself, according to prosecutors, not the 52-year-old man whose name has not been released.
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