A shooting on a CTA Red Line train that left a man wounded Wednesday morning led to massive delays as concerns over safety throughout the system grow.
“I was patiently waiting for my Uber and I heard an argument on the platform, next thing you know, I heard a few shots and people screaming and running,” witness Richard DeLeon said.
DeLeon lives near the scene of the shooting and witnessed the commotion. The incident halted services from the Argyle to Thorndale stops.
“I was in shock so I just stood and waited,” he said. “People came down, I didn’t see until they came down and put him on a stretcher and put him in the ambulance.”
According to Chicago police, the shooting started as an argument between two people, a 33-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman on the train. Police say the woman approached the victim, spat in his face then pulled out a gun and shot him. He was taken to the hospital in fair condition.
NBC Chicago has been tracking crime on the CTA and found that at least 15 high-profile incidents have been reported on the city’s mass transit system in the month of September alone. The incidents involved a victim either battered and robbed, shot, or stabbed riding the train or waiting on the platform.
On Sept. 2, four people were randomly shot to death on the Blue Line in Forest Park. Days later, a CTA employee was shot outside the Howard station in Rogers Park.
Deandre Jackson told NBC Chicago he too was a victim of a crime on the CTA and that he was attacked with a knife several years ago.
“The person probably thought I was asleep, snatched my headphones off then just cut me,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going on with the CTA.”
With more than 30,000 cameras and around 400 unarmed security guards, Jackson believes more needs to be done to address crime on the CTA.
“They need to put actually more police on the train, not just the regular security people,” he said. “We need more officers undercover.”
The head of the CTA is calling for more funding from the state to improve services.
“This morning, as riders were heading into work and school, another senseless incident of gun violence occurred on one of our northbound Red Line trains. Unfortunately, this occurrence reflects the larger issue of illegal guns flooding our communities and the resulting criminal use of firearms across the city. Issues that the Chicago region struggles with inevitably make their way onto CTA’s system—and gun violence is no exception. I want to extend my sincere gratitude to all involved– from our frontline employees assisting riders, to CFD for aiding the one victim who was transported in stable condition, and to CPD for their quick response that led to the immediate apprehension of a suspect,” CTA president Dorval Carter said.
As for the latest incident, police said the woman was arrested and a weapon was recovered. No one else was wounded in the shooting.