Four people were killed in a shooting on a commuter train in Chicago today, local police said, noting that a suspect had been arrested.
Police were called to the scene early in the morning and found the four victims at Forest Park station, the terminus of the blue train line. The three were already dead when the rescuers arrived, the fourth succumbed a short time later at the hospital where he was taken.
"All of the victims were passengers on the train," Forest Park Police Deputy Chief Christopher Chin said at a news conference.
Thanks to security cameras, a suspect was identified and arrested in the morning. "A gun was found," Chin said.
Police believe the attacker did not know the victims, who appeared to be homeless people traveling on the train. It also did not appear to be an attempted robbery but the victims were chosen at random.
Chin said it was an "isolated episode" and there is no threat to the community.
Firearm mortality in the US is unmatched in other developing countries. The phenomenon is explained by the widespread prevalence of guns, as one in three adults owns at least one and nearly one in two Americans live in a home where there is a gun. In June US Chief Medical Officer Vivek Murthy called gun violence a "public health crisis", pointing out that as of 2020 it is the leading cause of death for children and teenagers, ahead of traffic accidents.