CTA responds to 2 shootings in 2 days on its system

The Chicago Transit Authority is reeling from two violent incidents that occurred on its rail system this week.

On the morning of Sept. 3, four people were shot and killed while asleep on the Blue Line train near Forest Park. Then on the night of Sept. 4, a CTA employee was shot and injured by a drive-by shooter while the employee was outside of the Howard Street terminal. 

In response to the latest shooting, CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. said in a statement that the agency was “saddened and also in disbelief” over addressing the topic of gun violence on public transit for the second time in a week, NBC Chicago reported. 

The CTA is working closely with local law enforcement to provide relevant security camera footage related to the shooting of the CTA employee, Carter said.

Following the Sept. 3 fatal shooting on the train, surveillance footage allowed police to identify the suspect, who was taken into custody has been charged with four counts of first-degree homicide, CBS News reported. 

Local law enforcement has called on state lawmakers to invest in more security resources in the Forest Park terminal, where local emergency personnel are called to respond an average of 11 times per day, according to CBS News. 

Just last week, the CTA announced the rollout of a pilot project involving ZeroEyes’ 24/7 AI security system that can detect brandished firearms on train platforms. But the technology is available only on select train platforms.