A Kenwood man is facing murder charges in connection with Thursday’s fatal stabbing of a CTA janitor at the Damen Green Line station, according to police.
Chevazz Campbell, 37, has been charged with one count of first-degree murder, alongside three felonies, Chicago police announced in a news release Sunday morning. The announcement comes three days after the fatal attack, which has renewed calls for heightened safety on public transit.
Officials at the Amalgamated Transit Union Local on Thursday identified the victim as 41-year-old Julian Mobley, a full-time rail maintenance janitor who had been with the union since 2018. The medical examiner’s office has ruled his death a homicide.
Per an initial police report obtained by the Tribune, a man coming down the Damen station stairs had gotten into an argument with Mobley around 3 p.m. and sprayed him in the face with what the report described as an “unknown substance.” He then allegedly stabbed the janitor in the neck with scissors and ran off to the west.
Chicago Fire Department personnel found Mobley inside the station’s utility room, according to the report. He was pronounced dead soon afterward at Stroger Hospital.
Campbell turned himself in to the Englewood (7th) district police station late Thursday and told officers he was the person who stabbed someone at the Damen Green Line Station, according to an arrest report obtained by the Tribune. Campbell allegedly told officers he had gone home and gotten changed before returning to the station. The report states that he was wearing an ankle monitor.
At the time of his arrest, Campbell had five active warrants for his arrest, the report stated.
In 2019, Campbell was sentenced to three years in prison for stabbing someone multiple times while out in public.
More Top Picks Best Cycling Shoes For Road Bikes
Court records show that Campbell has been arrested multiple times in more recent years, mostly for retail theft from places like a West Loop Lululemon, the State Street Macy’s and a downtown Sunglass Hut.
In a statement, the CTA said it was “deeply saddened by the death of a beloved CTA employee at the Damen Green Line Station today,” adding that the agency extends “our heartfelt condolences to our colleague’s family, loved ones and coworkers.”
At a news conference livestreamed by Fox 32 Chicago hours after the incident, Pennie McCoach, president of ATU Local 308, identified Mobley as a father and husband who leaves behind two kids, a 14-year-old and an 18-month-old, and his wife of 20 years.
Mobley’s family could not be reached Friday.
As she addressed reporters Thursday, McCoach said Mobley’s death illustrates a still “real and immediate” need for systemic change.
“Let’s be clear: This is not a tragedy,” McCoach said. “This is a safety failure.”
For nearly a year now, the CTA has been under heightened pressure to reduce crime on public transit. Overall, FBI-classified serious crimes on the portion of the CTA within city limits are down 29% year over year, according to Chicago police data.
The decreases come as the CTA boosted law enforcement on the system at the behest of the federal government, which threatened to withhold funding from the transit agency over crime last year.
At Thursday’s conference, McCoach said that the union was calling for a full and transparent review of every safety protocol on CTA property.
Campbell is scheduled to make an initial court appearance Sunday.
baiduhai’s Talia Soglin contributed.