Suspects Hide In A Basement After Shooting 7 People, Crashing Car On Train In Illinois

Officials have found the three suspects whose getaway car collided with a commuter train in East St. Louis, Illinois, on Thursday after shooting several people. The criminals hit at the basement of a partially demolished building early Friday, reports claim.

The train incident has momentarily halted services on the track after the criminals' car hit the train, according to an online tabloid. MetroLink service between the 5th and Missouri and Emerson Park stations has reportedly been suspended. Passengers used the Metro shuttles after facing up to an hour of delays between stations.

St. Louis Post Dispatch, citing the Illinois State Police, said the suspects shot seven persons – including a kid – 4 p.m. Thursday in the area of Martin Luther King Drive and North Sixth Street.

According to USA Today, police spokesperson Beth Hundsdorfer stated the seven victims were taken to the hospital. The victims' ailments and identities, however, are unknown.

Meanwhile, around ten passengers on board the train were injured as a result of the collision. They were being treated right there on the spot.

According to police, the three suspects attempted to flee the scene in their blue getaway car but were struck by a passing commuter train as they tried to cross the tracks. After that, all of the suspects escaped on foot.

The state police said Thursday night that the "situation is still rapidly evolving," and that the public should avoid the area. According to Reuters, three suspects opened fire before attempting to drive around a train at a nearby railroad crossing.

SWAT members and police officers targeted a nearby residence following the incident, according to a KSDK story. At the same time, law enforcement deployed a drone, helicopter, and plane to look for the culprits.

Mayor Robert Eastern III of East St. Louis confirmed that numerous people were shot. Still, he did not provide any other details.

According to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), there were more than 600 shootings in 2020, up from 417 the previous year, according to The New York Times.

Two gunmen broke into a Chicago residence in June and shot eight people. Five persons were killed in the shooting. Seven of the shots were said to have hit the victim in the head.

A shooting in San Jose, California, killed nine people in May. According to investigators, the gunman, who was identified as a transit worker, also killed himself.

At a birthday celebration in Colorado Springs on May 9, another gunman managed to kill six people before shooting himself. The gunman was thought to be the boyfriend of one of the female victims, according to police.

The GVA, a gun violence research organization, reported 15,381 gun deaths in 2019, including homicides, suicides, and accidents. According to CBS News, there were also 29,568 gun-related injuries. In 2016, the GVA counted 382 mass shootings, 346 in 2017, and 337 in 2018.

According to a statistic published in the Belleville News-Democrat, East St. Louis has 96 homicides per 100,000, outnumbering cities such as Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. However, compared to a national average of 60 percent, only 25 percent of homicides are prosecuted in criminal court.

Rachel Davis, executive director of the Prevention Institute, said community trauma could be a role in residents refusing to cooperate with police to investigate open homicide cases.

Unsafe homes, failing schools, and a lack of economic opportunity, according to Davis, all add to the risk of violence.