Two men were shot, one of them fatally, on a CTA Pink Line train in the Loop early Tuesday after they began arguing with a knife-wielding man who took a gun from one of them and shot them both, Chicago police say.
The two men, 23 and 44, were on the train in the 100 block of North Wells Street around 1:20 a.m. when they began arguing with the other man, police said in a statement.
When the argument turned physical, one of the men pulled out a gun, police said. The man with the knife then “gained control of the weapon and discharged” it at the two men, according to officials.
A witness who was riding the same train told responding officers he heard the man say, “I shot them, but they tried to rob me,” according to a police report obtained by the Sun-Times.
The older man was shot in the abdomen and taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said in their statement. The younger man was taken to the same hospital for a gunshot wound to his wrist, police said. He was in fair condition.
Police have not charged anyone in the attack, saying in their statement that no one was in custody.
The CTA did not provide any details about the incident, but said in a statement there was a “disturbance” on the train.
The fatal shooting comes after several high-profile attacks on the CTA. Citing a November attack on a Blue Line train, where a man poured gasoline on a 26-year-old woman and set her on fire, the Trump administration demanded that the CTA implement new security measures or face a cut in funding. After the CTA announced it was adding officers to its volunteer CPD transit detail, the federal government said the plan was insufficient and threatened to withhold $50 million in funding.
Hours after the attack, members of the Violence Interrupters nonprofit met outside the CTA’s Sox–35th station to patrol Red Line trains. It’s something they have done regularly for the past three years in an effort to stop violence before it happens.
The recent violent attacks on CTA trains highlight the need for conflict mediators on public transportation, said Tio Hardiman, executive director of the nonprofit.
“One life taken is too many,” Hardiman said about Pink Like shooting.
He said the organization’s methods have proven effective. Volunteers have been successful in stopping violence on trains, he said. He hopes the city will help expand the program.
“We don’t just ride trains. We’re helping people turn their lives around,” he said.