Cook County Prosecutors Secure Conviction for 2022 Murder of Passenger Aboard CTA Red Line Train

Cook County Prosecutors Secure Conviction for 2022 Murder of Passenger Aboard CTA Red Line Train

CHICAGO - The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office secured First-Degree Murder and Robbery convictions against Isaac Anderson for fatally shooting 60-year-old Oral Woods, an unarmed passenger aboard a CTA Red Line train in 2022.

After approximately 3 hours of deliberation, a Cook County jury returned the guilty verdicts late Tuesday night.  Anderson, 30, faces a sentence ranging from 48 years to life in prison and remains in custody at Cook County Jail.  His next court date is July 9, 2026.

“No one should fear for their safety while using public transit. This conviction holds the defendant accountable for a senseless act of gun violence that took the life of an innocent CTA passenger,” said Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke. “I commend prosecutors Rebecca Wiggers and Matthew Larkin, along with the Chicago Police Department and Chicago Transit Authority for their work on the investigation to ensure justice for Mr. Woods and his loved ones.”

According to prosecutors, the incident occurred on October 15, 2022, aboard a CTA Red Line train near 87th Street. After a brief altercation, Anderson shot Woods multiple times and fled the scene. Woods later died from his injuries and the defendant was arrested on October 19, 2022, near the same CTA station. The shooting was captured on CTA video.

Combating crime on public transportation remains a top priority for State’s Attorney Burke. Earlier this year, the CCSAO launched a CTA Task Force and a Regional Transit Task Force (RTTF), two initiatives that bring together prosecutors, law enforcement agencies, and transit partners to strengthen transit crime prosecutions, improve public safety and hold offenders accountable.

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