CTA Red Line shooting suspect held without bond in murder of man, 60, on train

CHICAGO (CBS) – Bond was denied Friday for a man charged in a shooting that killed a 60-year-old man on a CTA Red Line train last weekend.

Issac Anderson, 26, was arrested Wednesday in the 0-99 block of West 87th Street in Chatham in connection with the murder of the man four days earlier.

Prosecutors said the chain of events all started with Anderson stealing a can of Pepsi from the victim, drinking some of it, and deliberately spilling the rest onto the victim.

In a proffer, Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Anne McCord Rogers said Anderson got on the Red Line at the Lake Street Red Line stop downtown using his Metra card early this past Saturday morning. He then boarded a southbound train, McCord said.

A few minutes later, the victim boarded the train, McCord said.

At 6:08 a.m., Anderson got up and moved across the aisle of the train and sat down to the victim, McCord said. He grabbed the victim’s backpack, stood up and looked inside, McCord said.

Anderson then took a can of Pepsi out of the victim’s backpack, threw the backpack onto the seat of a train, went back across the aisle to where he had been sitting before, and drank some of the victim’s Pepsi, McCord said.

Anderson then stood up and deliberately threw the rest of the Pepsi onto the victim, McCord said. The victim stood up, unarmed with his hands visible, McCord said.

Anderson then took a revolver out of his right jacket pocket and shot the victim five times, McCord said.

Anderson ran off the train at the 87th Street stop, while the victim tried to get up and pull the emergency cord – but ended up falling on the floor of the train, McCord said.

The victim was rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he died of his wounds on Sunday.

Anderson was spotted on video running out of the Red Line station and east on 87th Street, McCord said. An alert was sent out with his description.

The entirety of the chain of events was caught on high-quality, high-resolution video, McCord said. The video shows Anderson with a goatee wearing a distinctive black, gray, and white puffy Nike jacket with a hood, a tight black Polo Ralph Lauren hat with stripes, black North Face sweat pants, black puffy boots, and thick, distinctive glasses, McCord said. He is holding a cellphone in the video, McCord said.

At 7:36 a.m., a Chicago Police officer saw Anderson get on a CTA bus and called for backup. By that time, he had on all the same distinctive clothing on except the jacket, McCord said.

Officers caught up with Anderson, who provided his identification, name and phone number, and Firearm Owners Identification Card, McCord said. Police performed a pat-down, but did not find a weapon.

Anderson’s address on his ID was the same address as the one registered for his Ventra card he used to get on the train and the bus, McCord said. A contact card was drafted, but police did not arrest Anderson at that point, McCord said.

Meanwhile, police found the Pepsi can Anderson allegedly threw at the victim under a seat on the train, McCord said. DNA testing is outstanding.

A check of gun purchases determined that on Nov. 23 of las year, Anderson had purchased a .38-caliber revolver with a distinct gray handle and two other Glock handguns, McCord said.

The day before the shooting, Anderson had also been spotted on video in the same distinctive clothing, using his same Ventra card to get on the CTA, McCord said.

Police did arrest McCord on Wednesday outside the 87th Street Red Eline station. He was wearing many of the same clothes that he had worn during the shooting, McCord said.

Meanwhile, Anderson’s Facebook account showed photos of him holding a gun, and messages discussing him shooting someone, McCord said.

Anderson is charged with one felony count of first-degree murder and one felony count of murder with other forcible felony.