Before Rhanni Davis allegedly went on a deadly Labor Day shooting rampage on a Blue Line train, the 30-year-old had been arrested repeatedly and had struggled to pay rent — all while continuously shifting their identity.
Flashpoints in Davis’ life are laid out in a tangled web of court documents, none of which offer any clear indication that Davis was capable of killing four Blue Line riders in cold blood, as Cook County prosecutors now allege.
Facing four counts of first-degree murder, Davis is expected to appear for an initial court hearing on Wednesday.
A motive remains elusive as the circumstances of the shooting — and Davis’ background — continue to come into focus. Sources said Davis fatally shot three Blue Line riders as they slept, while a fourth person raised their hand in defense before being gunned down.
Police responded to the shooting about 5:30 a.m. Monday as the train pulled into the Forest Park station, 711 Des Plaines Ave. Officials said the four victims were in different cars.
Two men and a woman were pronounced dead at the scene, and another man died at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood. The Cook County medical examiner’s office has identified two of the victims as Adrian Collins, a 60-year-old man, and Simeon Bihesi, a 28-year-old man.
Collins died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen and Bihesi died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to autopsy results. The other two victims have not yet been named. One is a 64-year-old woman who died of a gunshot wound to the head. The other is 52-year-old man who died of multiple gunshot wounds.
Forest Park police said they tracked down Davis on a Pink Line train after working with CTA security to put together a description of the suspected shooter. A handgun was recovered.
Davis’ aunt expressed shock at the charges. “I wouldn’t expect for [Davis] to do anything like that to anybody,” she said. “This is so f—– up.”
Davis has been charged in at least six criminal cases in Cook County since November 2012 using various names: Rhanni Davis, Rhianni Davis and James McDavid. Davis has also used alternating gender identifiers and a variety of addresses, including one in Nashville, Tenn.
Davis legally changed their name from James Wesley Dusuede McDavis III to Rhianni Ja’Nae Davis in March 2013. Then last October, Davis petitioned to change their name back. The case was dismissed after Davis failed to appear in court.
Davis has faced misdemeanor gun charges in two cases that were ultimately dismissed, according to court records.
Davis was initially caught with a gun in the parking lot of a Metra station in Blue Island in October 2019, records show. In February 2021, Davis was found with a gun and a bullet magazine following a traffic stop. At the time of that arrest, Davis had a license to own the gun but wasn’t permitted to carry it publicly.
Davis was most recently arrested in Riverdale in November 2022 for illegally possessing a 2020 Ford Fusion that had been rented, court records show. The suspect was charged with a misdemeanor count of criminal trespass to a vehicle that was later dropped.
Months before that arrest — in August 2020 — Davis was caught inside of the now-shuttered Bloomindale’s department at 600 N. Wabash Ave. after it was breached during a wave of looting, court records show. Davis pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct and was sentenced to a day in Cook County Jail.
Davis was previously sentenced to two years of court supervision after being charged with a misdemeanor count of battery in Chicago, court records show. Before that, Davis was charged with a misdemeanor retail theft charge after being arrested in Evanston in 2012.
In July 2021, Davis sought the court’s protection from a woman who was allegedly stalking and harassing Davis and members of Davis’ household. The case was dismissed in May 2022, when both parties failed to appear in court.
The next month, Davis’ landlord moved to evict Davis from an apartment complex on the Far South Side. At the time, Davis owed nearly $3,500 in past-due rent. The case was dismissed in August 2022 after a process server was unable to provide Davis with a court summons.
About 5:30 a.m. Labor Day, officers responded to the Forest Park Blue Line station at 711 Desplaines Ave. and found four people shot, Forest Park police said. Three people died at the scene; a fourth died at a hospital.
Rhanni Davis fatally shot three CTA passengers as they slept, while a fourth person raised their hand in defense before being gunned down. sources said.