Man Shot On CTA Red Line Train At Jackson Stop, Police Searching For Gunman

By Stephen Gossett in News on Aug 18, 2017 2:02PM

Jackson Red Line station / CTA

Police are still looking for the gunman responsible after a 24-year-old man was shot on a CTA Red Line train at the Jackson stop in the Loop on Thursday night.

The victim was shot in the left arm and ankle at around 7:48 p.m. in the 200 block of South State Street, according to police. The man was taken to Northwestern Hospital where his condition stabilized.

Deputy Supt. Kevin Navarro said the shooting was targeted, and that the gunman opened fire when the doors opened on an arriving northbound Red Line train at the Jackson stop, according to the Sun-Times.

DNA Info reports that the shooting stemmed from a fight between some 50 young people that began at Pritzker Park, at West Van Buren and South State streets.

Police did not have anyone in custody as of Friday morning.

Witnesses were shaken and said the scene was marked by confusion and panic, according to the Tribune.

"They were leaving the doors wide open," witness Andrew Lapin told ABC7. "That was definitely a little shot of terror because there were some people on the train saying, 'Why are the doors open? We're sitting ducks, basically.' Just because we didn't know what the situation was."

Some passengers on the train were shouting for the doors to be closed, Lapin told the Tribune.

Deputy Supt. Navarro emphasized that shootings on the CTA are uncommon. "Although this is a startling event, this is a very rare event. Shootings on public transportation are very rare," he said, according to the Tribune.

Service was temporarily interrupted and the station was closed for a time on Thursday night as crews investigated. Normal service was restored by 10 p.m., the CTA said.