4 killed in CTA Blue Line train station shooting near Chicago
(FOREST PARK, Ill.) — Four people were killed in a shooting early Monday on a Chicago Transit Authority train in Forest Park, Illinois, officials said.
The Forest Park Police Department received a 911 call about three people shot on a westbound train at the CTA Blue Line station in Forest Park, just west of Chicago, around 5:30 a.m. local time, according to a statement from police.
Authorities cleared the station, finding four victims. Three were pronounced dead on scene and the fourth was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where they died.
Forest Park police, along with CTA security, used video surveillance to help identify the offender. Then the Chicago Police Department located a suspect who matched the description on a CTA Pink Line train. The subject was taken into custody and a firearm was found, Forest Park police said.
According to Forest Park officials, the shooting appears to have been an isolated incident with no immediate additional threat to the community.
In a statement, the CTA called the incident a “heinous and egregious act of violence” that “should never have occurred, none the less on a public transit train.”
“As soon as it was reported, CTA immediately deployed resources to assist the Forest Park Police in their investigation into the matter, including review of all possible security camera footage, which proved to be vital in aiding local enforcement,” the statement read.
The CTA commended the Forest Park Police Department and the Chicago Police Department for their rapid response and coordination.
CTA said it will continue to work with local law enforcement regarding the ongoing investigation.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(BRIDGETON, N.J.) — Police are seeking a woman who hopped a fence surrounding a tiger enclosure at a New Jersey zoo.
Video of the incident showed the unidentified woman reaching through the enclosure’s fence at the Cohanzick Zoo in Bridgeton.
The woman can be seen attempting to pet the animal, then jumping back when it appears to momentarily become aggressive.
“A female at the Cohanzick Zoo went over the wooden fence at the tiger enclosure and began enticing the tiger almost getting bit by putting her hand through the wire enclosure,” police said.
It was not immediately clear when the incident took place, but police released the footage Tuesday.
At the end of the video, the woman is seen turning and hopping back over the wooden fence and walking away.
They also shared a photo of a sign in the area of the enclosure, which warned visitors not to climb over the fence.
Police are asking anyone who recognizes the woman in the video to contact them at 856-451-0033.
(LOS ANGELES) — More than 8,600 firefighters simultaneously battling three major Southern California wildfires made substantial progress overnight, taking advantage of cooler and wetter weather to increase containment lines on all three blazes, authorities said Sunday.
The largest blaze — the Bridge Fire burning in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties — was at 54,567 acres as of Sunday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
More than 2,600 emergency personnel battling the fire increased containment to 9% on Sunday, up from 2% on Saturday morning. Fire crews ensured a “minimal” spread of the inferno by about 800 acres overnight, according to Cal Fire.
Two firefighters have been injured in the Bridge Fire, which began on Sept. 8. At least 19 structures have been destroyed and six damaged, with 11,560 more still under threat, Cal Fire said.
The northwest corner of the fire was most active through Saturday, Cal Fire added, while the east side of the blaze still poses risks to residents in the Mount Baldy area, where evacuation orders remain in effect.
Firefighters held their containment line on its south side in the Sunset Peak area, and increased containment there by 2%.
The cause of the Bridge Fire remains under investigation.
Elsewhere in the Los Angeles area, firefighters were gaining the upper hand on two other major wildland blazes.
Line Fire
Firefighters in San Bernardino County increased containment of the Line Fire to 36% on Sunday morning, up from 25% to 29% on Saturday, according to Cal Fire. The blaze, which was started Sept. 5 by an alleged arsonist, was 38,421 acres in size as of Cal Fire’s latest update Sunday morning.
Some 36,300 structures are being threatened, with one destroyed and three damaged as of Sunday. There are 4,103 fire personnel fighting the blaze, with three firefighters so far injured.
“Late Friday night and into the early hours Saturday, Line Fire activity was moderated due to higher moisture levels,” San Bernardino National Forest officials said, though they added that danger of spreading fire remained in dry vegetation, drainages and along slopes.
“The weather is expected to remain cool over the next several days which will continue to help moderate fire behavior,” the national forest officials said.
Airport Fire
Firefighters battling the Airport Fire in Orange and Riverside counties grew containment from 9% to 19% on Saturday, Cal Fire reported, with the fire now 23,519 acres in size.
The wildfire destroyed 109 structures and damaged 24 more as of Saturday night, Cal Fire said, with another 21,993 still threatened. Fourteen people — 12 firefighters and two civilians — have been injured.
“Favorable weather conditions persisted, with the marine layer returning this evening and forecast light precipitation in the coming days,” Cal Fire wrote on Saturday evening.
“Despite recent weather, the dry vegetation has exhibited active fire behavior, indicating the continued risk of increased fire activity,” Cal Fire said.
“Evacuation levels are being assessed daily by fire managers in collaboration with law enforcement based on fire containment and safety considerations,” it added. “Efforts are underway to safely return residents to their homes as conditions permit.”
The Airport Fire began around 1 p.m. PT on Tuesday, sparked by county public works crews working on a fire prevention project by trying to move boulders to prevent public access — mostly by motorcyclists — to an area of the canyon with a lot of dry vegetation that could ignite easily, officials told Los Angeles ABC station KABC.
ABC News’ Samira Said and Tristan Maglunog contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — The Florida state attorney has filed charges against former deputy Eddie Duran in the shooting death of United States Air Force Sr. Airman Roger Fortson who was killed in his own home.
Duran was charged with one count of manslaughter with a firearm, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years. The court will be issuing a warrant for Durant’s arrest on Friday.
The deputy, who shot Fortson in an encounter on May 3, was terminated from the department in May, according to a sheriff’s department statement obtained by ABC News.
Fortson, 23, was in his home in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, when Duran responded to the apartment for a call reporting a domestic disturbance, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. Fortson was alone in the apartment at the time.
In body camera footage released by the sheriff’s office, Fortson is seen holding a gun in his right hand with his arm extended downward and the muzzle pointing at the floor as he opens the door in response to the deputy, who can be heard announcing twice that he’s with the sheriff’s office. The footage, reviewed by ABC News, also shows Fortson had his left hand up, palm showing, gesturing towards the deputy when he opened the door.
Duran shot Fortson within seconds of the door opening, according to the footage. Fortson died of his injuries.
The deputy said he saw Fortson armed with a gun and that Fortson took a step toward the deputy and had a look of aggression in his eyes, according to an interview Duran conducted with the sheriff’s office during their subsequent investigation.
Fortson’s girlfriend, who asked not to be identified due to fears for her safety, spoke in May to Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB-TV, telling the station her and Fortson were having a conversation on the phone about weekend plans when the shooting occurred.
“We continue to wish Mr. Fortson’s family comfort and peace, as the former deputy’s criminal case proceeds,” the Oklaloosa County Sheriff’s Office told ABC News in a statement. “We stand by our decision to terminate Mr. Duran as a result of the administrative internal affairs investigation that found his use of force was not objectively reasonable.”
A sweep of the home did not find another person in the apartment besides Fortson, police said. In the body camera video, a woman, presumed to be a building manager, explains to the officer that someone in the building notified her of the disturbance and that she called police.
Fortson’s family said in a statement to ABC News on Friday that the charges marked a “first step towards justice” in the case.
“Nothing can ever bring Roger back, and our fight is far from over, but we are hopeful that this arrest and these charges will result in real justice for the Fortson family,” the statement said. “Let this be a reminder to law enforcement officers everywhere that they swore a solemn oath to protect and defend, and their actions have consequences, especially when it results in the loss of life.”
The state attorney’s office said it’s very limited in what they can say because this is still an ongoing investigation. No press conferences are scheduled at this time.