Charges filed in ‘chilling’ slayings as CTA rolls out AI to detect guns, reassure riders
The horrific holiday weekend shootings of four people on a Blue Line train comes amid a push by the CTA to reduce crime and assure riders the system is safe.
Rhanni S. Davis, 30, of Chicago, was charged Tuesday with four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of the passengers, who were found on a train at about 5:30 a.m. Monday at the suburban Forest Park station.
The victims include three men and one woman, located in two separate CTA rail cars.
Security camera footage shows a man “callously” walking up to each sleeping rider and shooting them, Forest Park Deputy Police Chief Christopher Chin said Tuesday.
The passengers were not sitting together and there were no arguments or fights prior to the violence, Chin noted.
“There’s not any immediate reason. It’s not like a robbery. It’s not like a crime of passion. It’s … chilling,” Chin said. “This is real life, this is not a movie.
“It does seem random and isolated. We don’t have a motive,” Chin said.
Forest Park police worked with CTA security staff to track Davis using surveillance video footage, officials said. Chicago police arrested him at about 7 a.m. on the Pink Line and recovered a firearm, according to police.
“This heinous and egregious act of violence should never have occurred, nonetheless on a public transit train,” CTA leaders said in a statement Monday.
The violence occurred just days after the CTA announced plans to use AI technology to detect passengers with guns.
Crime on the system has been a concern for riders in recent years. A 2023 survey indicated just half of CTA rail riders were satisfied with security on trains, a Regional Transportation Authority analysis showed.
In February, the RTA hosted a transit safety summit and CTA President Dorval Carter said the agency was working diligently to address safety issues and perceptions.
In April, the CTA reported a year-to-date 6% drop in crime from 2023.
The agency recently signed a 12-month, up to $200,000 contract with Pennsylvania-based technology company ZeroEyes to monitor its existing cameras for security threats.
The pilot program will use “visual gun detection and situational awareness software” to identify brandished firearms, the CTA said.
Once a threat is spotted, images are sent to a ZeroEyes unit comprising military and law enforcement veterans to review. If a weapon is confirmed, the unit will alert local police.
ZeroEyes officials said it could take less than a minute to notify authorities once a firearm is detected.
The technology is being used at Navy Pier as well as schools and other transit systems, the CTA said.
In a statement, Carter said “instances of crime on the system are comparatively rare, and the CTA is proud to provide safe and reliable transportation to roughly one million riders a day. Our hope is this added measure of protection provides additional peace of mind to everyone.”
· Daily Herald wire services contributed to this report.