A security guard with no criminal history has been charged with fatally shooting a 60-year-old man last weekend on a CTA Red Line train.
Issac Anderson, 26, faces two counts of murder in the Oct. 15 slaying and was ordered held without bail during his initial hearing Friday at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.
Cook County prosecutors gave no motive for the alleged crime in court but said that the attack was instigated entirely by Anderson.
Early that morning, Anderson was recorded by high-resolution surveillance cameras as he used a Ventra card registered in his name to enter the Lake and Randolph CTA station, prosecutors said.
Wearing distinctive clothing and glasses, Anderson was allegedly seen getting on a southbound Red Line train that the 60-year-old also boarded a few minutes later.
Shortly after 6 a.m., Anderson was recorded as he moved to a seat beside the man and grabbed his backpack, prosecutors said. Anderson then allegedly searched the bag and removed a bottle of Pepsi before throwing the backpack back at the man and keeping the drink.
Anderson moved to a seat across the aisle, where he drank some of the Pepsi before throwing the rest of the bottle at the man, who then stood up from his seat, prosecutors said.
The recorded did not show the man holding anything in his hands when Anderson allegedly reached into his pocket, pulled out a revolver and shot the man five times before fleeing.
The man, whose identity hasn’t been released, was taken to a hospital but later died, officials said.
A description of Anderson was shared with police, leading officers to spot him an hour and a half later as he boarded a bus, prosecutors said.
Officers patted Anderson down but found no weapons, according to prosecutors. Anderson also provided officers with an ID card and FOID card, which were recorded before he was released.
In November 2021, Anderson purchased three guns, including a .38-caliber revolver, prosecutors said. In messages on his Facebook account, Anderson posted photos that showed him holding a revolver and messages that discussed him shooting someone, prosecutors added.
Tests to determine if DNA could be recovered from the Pepsi bottle were still pending Friday, prosecutors said.
An assistant public defender for Anderson said he had most recently been working for the Andy Frain security company at various events, including Lollapalooza.
After denying Anderson bail, Judge Charles Beach set his next court date for Nov. 10.