Chicago:

At least four people were shot dead on a train in the US city of Chicago on Monday, police said, with a suspect apprehended soon after the mass shooting occurred.

Police said they responded to a 911 emergency hotline call early on Monday morning, arriving at the Forest Park train station where they found the four victims.

“Three were pronounced dead on scene, the fourth was transported to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where they were later pronounced,” a police statement said.

Gun violence is common in the United States, a country where there are more firearms than people. Attempts to clamp down on gun rights are always met with stiff political resistance.

Chicago police put out a description of the suspected offender based on surveillence footage, and a suspect was later taken into custody with a firearm also recovered, the statement said.

“This appears to be an isolated incident with no immediate threat to the community,” the statement said.

Chicago operates one of the largest public transportation networks in the United States, with more than 317,000 people using its train system on an average weekday, according to the Chicago Transit Authority.

“It’s a horrible situation. It’s definitely something that you don’t want to wake up to. It’s a Monday morning on a holiday,” police official Christopher Chin told reporters, referring to the Labor Day holiday being observed in the United States.

This year, there have been at least 378 mass shootings — defined as a shooting involving at least four victims — across the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

At least 11,463 people have been killed in firearms violence, according to the GVA.

In June, the US surgeon general issued a landmark advisory declaring gun violence a “public health crisis” and calling for wide-ranging firearm controls that have historically been quashed by political opposition.

Firearms in recent years have become the leading cause of deaths for Americans aged between one and 19, above motor vehicles, the report said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Rupesh Chandra Chintakindi, Indian student in Chicago, has been reported missing in since May 2. Photo: X/@amjedmbt

An Indian student has been reported missing in Chicago since May 2. The Consulate General of India in Chicago said it was in touch with the police and Indian diaspora to locate/reestablish contact with Rupesh Chandra Chintakindi. In a post on X, the Consulate General of India in Chicago stated, “The Consulate is deeply concerned learning that Indian student Rupesh Chandra Chintakindi is incommunicado since 2nd May. Consulate is in touch with the police and the Indian diaspora hoping to locate/reestablish contact with Rupesh.”

The Chicago police, in a statement, have urged people to provide information to the police if they locate Mr. Rupesh Chintakindi. According to the statement, he was missing from the 4300 block of N Sheridan Road. Earlier in April, an Indian student who has been missing since March this year was found dead in the U.S. state of Ohio, the Consulate General of India in New York said.

The Consulate General of India in New York said it is “anguished” to learn about the death of Mohammed Abdul Arfath and is in touch with local authorities to ensure a thorough investigation into his death”. Anguished to learn that Mohammed Abdul Arfath, for whom search operation was underway, was found dead in Cleveland, Ohio.

“Our deepest condolences to Mr. Mohammed Arfath’s family”, the Consulate General of India in New York said in a post on X. Arafat, a native of Hyderabad, went to the U.S. for his Master’s degree in IT from Cleveland University in May 2023 but had been missing since March 7 this year. His father, Mohd. Saleem, said that after ten days, they received a phone call from an unidentified person who claimed Mr. Arafat had been kidnapped and demanded a $1,200 ransom for his release.

Recently, the Indian community has seen a rise in such tragedies. In April, Uma Satya Sai Gadde, an Indian student in Cleveland, Ohio, died and a police investigation is underway.

Earlier this February, an Indian student faced a brutal attack in Chicago. Following the attack, the Indian Consulate in Chicago stated that it was in touch with the victim, Syed Mazahir Ali, as well as his wife in India.