1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: What you're about to hear in the following episode does 2 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:06,080 Speaker 1: not implicate the Chicago Police in the murder of Courtney 3 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:12,240 Speaker 1: Copeland previously on Somebody. There are still so many unanswered 4 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:15,080 Speaker 1: questions about what led to the death of twenty two 5 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:18,560 Speaker 1: year old Courtney Copeland. Family members say Copeland was on 6 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:20,640 Speaker 1: his way to a friend's house when he was shot 7 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:23,919 Speaker 1: through his car window. A bullet hit his back. He 8 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:26,360 Speaker 1: managed to flag down a police car in front of 9 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: the district station and was rushed to a hospital. The 10 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:34,120 Speaker 1: wound was fatal. I believe that not enough has been 11 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 1: done to thought of Courtney murder, Like what would you 12 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:40,600 Speaker 1: like done that I haven't done. I personally would have 13 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:43,159 Speaker 1: went back and reinterviewed everybody to make sure that we 14 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 1: absolutely who ever did this to us, as did you 15 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:58,800 Speaker 1: turn yourself in to ask for forgiveness from God. My 16 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 1: name is Chaparral Else this is a story of my son, Courtney, 17 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:06,400 Speaker 1: a young black man in a fancy car who wound 18 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:08,480 Speaker 1: up with a bullet in his back in front of 19 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:12,200 Speaker 1: a Chicago police station. And it's the story of my 20 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 1: search for the truth. This is Somebody. Everybody. Somebids every 21 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 1: day non bide the snugging. That's right, and so every 22 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:48,320 Speaker 1: black person in this country must rise up and say 23 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:55,840 Speaker 1: I'm somebody. I have a rich, proud and noble history, 24 00:01:56,280 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 1: however painful and exploded, it has been a Black people 25 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:05,080 Speaker 1: have always had to say it out loud, I am 26 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 1: somebody because the people in charge keep telling us we're not. 27 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 1: I am black, but I'm black and beautiful. This is 28 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 1: something Dr Martin Luther King used to stay in front 29 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: of crowds, and Reverend Jesse Jackson has carried on the tradition. 30 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:32,639 Speaker 1: When I hear Reverend Jackson saying that when he tells 31 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:36,239 Speaker 1: you that you are somebody, he reminds you to think 32 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 1: about your own self worth. And even though the world 33 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:43,280 Speaker 1: around you was telling you that you are nothing, you 34 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:54,960 Speaker 1: are somebody. And my son Courtney, he was somebody. I 35 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:58,560 Speaker 1: felt I had the responsibility to force the police to 36 00:02:58,639 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 1: take a look at his case and say, hey, this 37 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:16,400 Speaker 1: kid is somebody. Hey, everybody, welcome back to Keep Up 38 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: Alive with Reverend Jesse Jackson. I'm Santita Jackson. We want 39 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 1: you to call us at one. That's Santita Jackson. She 40 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 1: co hosts the radio show Keep Hope Alive with her 41 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:29,960 Speaker 1: father Reverend Jesse Jackson here in Chicago. Their show airs 42 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,359 Speaker 1: on w v o N The Voice of the Nation, 43 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 1: but it used to be called the Voice of the Negro. 44 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 1: The station was a catalyst and getting out the message 45 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: of the civil rights movement, and now their mainstream. Let 46 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:44,240 Speaker 1: me go to chappearl from Chicago. What is on your mind? 47 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 1: I've been a frequent caller for years. I'm always on 48 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:51,480 Speaker 1: their Facebook page and I'm so glad you came off 49 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: of that Facebook. What's on your money today? Thank you 50 00:03:56,680 --> 00:03:58,840 Speaker 1: so much for taking my concern a little good morning 51 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 1: to your panel. I wanted to actually reiterate what Dr 52 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:07,520 Speaker 1: Roberts said. You were one of my best callers, someone 53 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:11,839 Speaker 1: who was very confrontational in a respectful way, very informed, 54 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 1: and very determined to get the story right. So the 55 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:18,680 Speaker 1: thing about Santita, she knows so many people, she's connected. 56 00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:21,760 Speaker 1: So after Courtney was killed, she was one of the 57 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 1: first people I called. There was two or three in 58 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: the morning, something like that. I immediately became alarmed because 59 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:31,360 Speaker 1: anyone who calls me at that hour it's typically not 60 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 1: good news. And you were in between crying and talking, 61 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:38,920 Speaker 1: and you just kept saying, this is my son and 62 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:43,520 Speaker 1: my baby. You just kept saying, Courtney, my baby, my baby, Santita, 63 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:47,320 Speaker 1: he's been killed. I told her the detectives wouldn't tell 64 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:50,240 Speaker 1: me much of anything, but they wanted to ask me 65 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:52,800 Speaker 1: a bunch of questions. I said, I told you to stop. 66 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:58,599 Speaker 1: You need to record that is right down, everything that 67 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: you heard and saw felt, because you will lose it 68 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:06,279 Speaker 1: as we go, as time goes on. Fantitita's advice to 69 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:10,279 Speaker 1: write everything down, that was the best advice I could 70 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:13,360 Speaker 1: have been given. In the beginning, you get the truth. 71 00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:18,000 Speaker 1: The cover up happens after the first day or so, 72 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:22,680 Speaker 1: but in the beginning, you get the truth. I went 73 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:26,279 Speaker 1: straight into investigate a mode. I wrote up a timeline 74 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:28,880 Speaker 1: and I made a voice recording on my phone to 75 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:33,200 Speaker 1: keep track of all the details. I told that recorder 76 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 1: everything I was thinking about the night I got the news, 77 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:50,919 Speaker 1: so approximate around two fifteen am, I received a thunderous 78 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:56,160 Speaker 1: beat on my door and I told that recorder about 79 00:05:56,200 --> 00:06:05,360 Speaker 1: my conversation with detectives. I begin to question, through my pain, 80 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 1: can I talk to the officer. I need to know 81 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:13,880 Speaker 1: exactly what my son said to him, and they said 82 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:17,000 Speaker 1: that that's the only thing that he had said that 83 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:22,239 Speaker 1: he had been shot. I also told that recorder about 84 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:26,840 Speaker 1: what I really believed happened to Courtney. I believe my 85 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:36,120 Speaker 1: son was stopped and pulled out his vehicle because they 86 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:40,880 Speaker 1: ran the place and they saw a young black man 87 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:47,280 Speaker 1: driving the Hispanic area with a car that was not 88 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:52,880 Speaker 1: registered in a black person's name. Courtney had a co 89 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:57,400 Speaker 1: sign on that BMW his friend Christian Hernandez. It was 90 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:03,640 Speaker 1: his name on the car registration and not Courtneys, which 91 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:09,920 Speaker 1: the police would have known they ran his plates, and 92 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 1: Christian told me that police called him right after Courtney 93 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:16,040 Speaker 1: died to ask who the real owner of the car was. 94 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:20,360 Speaker 1: And another thing we knew. The police had Courtney's name, 95 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: the male of his name, and so they would have 96 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:28,200 Speaker 1: learned that Courtney had an I R number. That's a 97 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 1: number that's assigned to you when you're arrested. Let me 98 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:37,560 Speaker 1: give you a little backstory. When Courtney was about seventeen, 99 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:40,200 Speaker 1: he and some friends found a debit card to school 100 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:43,160 Speaker 1: and they used it to buy some Harold's chicken. And 101 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 1: I get this phone call and it's my mom and 102 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:52,280 Speaker 1: she's like, Courtney's in jail. I'm like, who what, Cordneys, 103 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:55,920 Speaker 1: Who does our mare. So I have told her well, 104 00:07:55,920 --> 00:07:57,760 Speaker 1: and I don't care what he did. Leave him there. 105 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:03,480 Speaker 1: I remember being so mad at him. Courtney was punished 106 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:06,920 Speaker 1: with the in school suspension. The case was tossed. He 107 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:13,680 Speaker 1: never got rested again, but the I R number followed him, 108 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:16,200 Speaker 1: no matter that he was just a kid and all 109 00:08:16,280 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 1: that he and his friends did was still some chicken. 110 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:31,160 Speaker 1: A week after Courtney died, me, my husband Brent, and 111 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:37,000 Speaker 1: my mom Renee, we met with police. The station was 112 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:43,160 Speaker 1: old and dilapidated. Brint recorded the whole thing on his 113 00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:52,960 Speaker 1: phone from his pocket. Hello. Hi. While we waited, I 114 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:58,640 Speaker 1: was taking calls and planning Courtney's funeral. The wake is 115 00:08:58,720 --> 00:09:02,800 Speaker 1: at one, then the uh, the actual services is going 116 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:05,720 Speaker 1: to start at three, so it's a two hour visitation 117 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:10,040 Speaker 1: and then the program obvious a meeting. Can I getting 118 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:13,520 Speaker 1: some soft drinks, water chips, anything at all? Waters, water, water, 119 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:21,920 Speaker 1: free water from you? Yeah, Monday is the barrier, Sergeant Mitchell? No, no, no, 120 00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:25,000 Speaker 1: is that team. Hold hold on one second. The three 121 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:29,640 Speaker 1: of us set across from the three of them. I 122 00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:31,559 Speaker 1: just wanted to know if you want to speaking next, 123 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:35,880 Speaker 1: and what was your sergeant, Mitchell? Sergeant m Yes, ma'am. Oh, 124 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:42,240 Speaker 1: you're the big wig. Huh. I wrote down their names. Okay, okay, 125 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:46,959 Speaker 1: first of all, you have our condolences. Um. Everybody we've 126 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:51,360 Speaker 1: spoken to. Um, there's someone was a great kid, Um 127 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:53,400 Speaker 1: and nobody's had a bad word to say about them. 128 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 1: And they told us they do everything they could to 129 00:09:56,720 --> 00:10:00,679 Speaker 1: find out who killed court this er persons to justice. Okay. 130 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:03,880 Speaker 1: We we we myself, the detectives. I couldn't have two better 131 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:08,800 Speaker 1: guys work in the case. Okay. Um, you know there's 132 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:13,080 Speaker 1: you know, there's some sometimes people are out in that game, 133 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:16,880 Speaker 1: they're they're playing out there and you know, things happen. 134 00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:21,160 Speaker 1: This is not the case here, um, And like I said, 135 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:25,000 Speaker 1: you're it provides us with an extra incentive. You know. 136 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:27,880 Speaker 1: We were kind of of the belief that homicide is 137 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:29,880 Speaker 1: you know, it's almost biblical. It's like the worst thing 138 00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:31,960 Speaker 1: you can do to somebody. Here. They asked if we 139 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:35,880 Speaker 1: had any questions. My mom, Brent and I we had 140 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:39,640 Speaker 1: a lot, so farre away. Okay. The first question I 141 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:42,680 Speaker 1: hit was who was the officer on the scene that 142 00:10:42,760 --> 00:10:45,920 Speaker 1: assisted my son. There were several officers on the scene, 143 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:51,360 Speaker 1: and um, they did they attempted to They were they're 144 00:10:51,440 --> 00:10:56,439 Speaker 1: comforting to your son. We know that for a fact. Um, 145 00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:59,719 Speaker 1: may we have the n ange of the officers. No, 146 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:03,480 Speaker 1: I am not gonna um not right now. Okay, let's 147 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:09,360 Speaker 1: just okay, okay, okay, um. No, we're not going to 148 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:13,600 Speaker 1: give out names of officers in this okay, Um. But 149 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:19,800 Speaker 1: I can ensure you that they summoned help right away. 150 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:23,480 Speaker 1: They comforted your son. Um, they did all that they 151 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:30,760 Speaker 1: could to help him. Um. You know, you know, you 152 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:32,079 Speaker 1: see and you hear a lot of things. But I'm 153 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:34,880 Speaker 1: actually really proud of the way the officers conducted themselves, 154 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:37,840 Speaker 1: you know. But when I started to press them, it 155 00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:40,160 Speaker 1: was clear they hadn't even talked to the officers on 156 00:11:40,200 --> 00:11:44,640 Speaker 1: the scene. So when my son approached the cops, what 157 00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:49,199 Speaker 1: did he say? From what I understand, even if you 158 00:11:49,520 --> 00:11:53,120 Speaker 1: related to the officer, he'd been shot. Um, they called 159 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:54,920 Speaker 1: nine when they got on the radio, and some of 160 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:58,240 Speaker 1: an ambulance. He didn't tell them anything. He didn't elaborate, 161 00:11:58,679 --> 00:12:03,520 Speaker 1: like him occurred that. I mean, I know my son, 162 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:05,960 Speaker 1: and that's just like hard to belie. We are going 163 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:09,240 Speaker 1: to speak with all the officers that were on the scene. Okay, 164 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:12,960 Speaker 1: so you haven't done it. The detectives. They see what happened. 165 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:17,160 Speaker 1: This happened over the midnight shift, and Midnight's assigns detectives 166 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:19,320 Speaker 1: to do the scene, and they speak with the officers, 167 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:21,679 Speaker 1: and we're there. I asked them about the cameras right 168 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:24,800 Speaker 1: outside the station, the ones that would have shown what 169 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:27,600 Speaker 1: happened when my son pulled up, about the police station, 170 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:31,080 Speaker 1: the police station. Those cameras don't work. Those cameras do 171 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:33,959 Speaker 1: not that's crazy, they said, they didn't work. I tell you, 172 00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:40,240 Speaker 1: I arrived as the young policeman in that station in May. 173 00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:44,120 Speaker 1: I went to the district those cameras, and I was 174 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:47,199 Speaker 1: there in January of ninety one until we came here 175 00:12:48,040 --> 00:12:52,400 Speaker 1: four years ago. Multiple requests over the years, the district 176 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:55,200 Speaker 1: commander to him, right outside the police station, there's a 177 00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:58,760 Speaker 1: big park with three schools. So to tell me those 178 00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:03,040 Speaker 1: cameras hadn't worked in that case, that was unacceptable. I 179 00:13:03,080 --> 00:13:06,240 Speaker 1: do share. I do share your frustration when things don't 180 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:10,760 Speaker 1: work for us. Cameras don't work, computers don't work, automobiles 181 00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:15,800 Speaker 1: don't work. It is very frustrating. But you know what, 182 00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:20,200 Speaker 1: we have these hurdles in every investigation. I'm just trying. 183 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:27,120 Speaker 1: How can you use the people have to how I 184 00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:32,080 Speaker 1: feel like the job is to serve and protect, but 185 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:33,880 Speaker 1: you can't do it your if you don't have the 186 00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:37,080 Speaker 1: property equipment to use it. And that shows me the 187 00:13:37,240 --> 00:13:41,720 Speaker 1: lack of priority it is to save lives in this city. 188 00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:43,679 Speaker 1: But when I talked to the detectives on the phone 189 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:46,120 Speaker 1: to set up this meeting, one of them told me 190 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:49,160 Speaker 1: that they had already seen a video from the neighborhood. 191 00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:51,600 Speaker 1: Came only won't work and you said that you did 192 00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:57,080 Speaker 1: find uh? You said you saw him on one camera, right, 193 00:13:57,240 --> 00:14:00,320 Speaker 1: I said, I was able to view one and run. 194 00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:05,400 Speaker 1: That's what I said. Okay, so you have you you 195 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:09,760 Speaker 1: do have other videos that you need to watch. I'm sorry. 196 00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:13,520 Speaker 1: I needed to see what was on those tapes, but 197 00:14:13,559 --> 00:14:16,199 Speaker 1: they wouldn't give them to me. They said it was 198 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:21,440 Speaker 1: an ongoing investigation. So I went back home and I 199 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:31,600 Speaker 1: pushed in other ways. I hit the streets and I 200 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:37,120 Speaker 1: got back on the radio. Women have the power to 201 00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:41,920 Speaker 1: transform this world. We can end crime and violence if 202 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:46,280 Speaker 1: we all agree to do one thing to share. My 203 00:14:46,480 --> 00:14:50,200 Speaker 1: theory is that the gang bangers, the police, everybody is 204 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:53,960 Speaker 1: a suspect until they ruled themselves out. I have to 205 00:14:54,000 --> 00:15:09,160 Speaker 1: see the video in order to rule them out whom 206 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:17,360 Speaker 1: Cortney's homegoing service was at the Cicero Community Center. The 207 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:20,840 Speaker 1: funeral home wouldn't work because Courtney had too many friends, 208 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:35,640 Speaker 1: so we had people standing room only. Courtney was everyone's 209 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:40,360 Speaker 1: best friend. He had that gift of making everyone feel important. 210 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:43,640 Speaker 1: Everybody was saying, oh, he was my best friend. He 211 00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:46,000 Speaker 1: was my best friend. He was my best friend. He 212 00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:50,760 Speaker 1: really was my best friend. I just loved the stories 213 00:15:50,800 --> 00:16:02,280 Speaker 1: people told, like Courtney's friend Jova, was just like that 214 00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:11,920 Speaker 1: whole chance. The rapper showed up too. He stayed in 215 00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:14,320 Speaker 1: the back, you know, walking in the room and seeing 216 00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:17,560 Speaker 1: all these familiar faces and all these faces that I 217 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:21,240 Speaker 1: had never seen before, all broken over my friend. You know, 218 00:16:21,280 --> 00:16:24,040 Speaker 1: it just hit me like he was just a good dude, 219 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:27,720 Speaker 1: funny dude. Just like realizing like that that somebody had 220 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:33,160 Speaker 1: taken him. You know, it was just hard for me 221 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:39,160 Speaker 1: to to deal with that. Ship there. I put Corney 222 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:43,240 Speaker 1: in a tuxedo. That's what he's wearing his favorite picture. 223 00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:47,320 Speaker 1: So I told myself, I'm gonna make him look just 224 00:16:47,440 --> 00:16:54,200 Speaker 1: like that. The service, it was so beautiful and sent Tita, 225 00:16:54,640 --> 00:17:11,920 Speaker 1: she sang for him, We bring up no You're sang 226 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:14,320 Speaker 1: this song, I think by my hello, you're Jackson. Troubles 227 00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:29,000 Speaker 1: of the world. We've been a waitly it says, soon 228 00:17:29,119 --> 00:17:31,560 Speaker 1: I will be done with the troubles of the world. 229 00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:36,560 Speaker 1: You are supposed to cry at birth and rejoice at death, 230 00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:39,280 Speaker 1: because as excited as we are to see a baby, 231 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:41,560 Speaker 1: you don't tell a baby, well, this is gonna be 232 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:51,600 Speaker 1: a tough journey. All of his best friends were his pallbearers. 233 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:57,080 Speaker 1: They wore red bull ties, black vests, and white gloves 234 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:21,959 Speaker 1: as they lowered my son's body into the ground. With 235 00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:26,480 Speaker 1: Courtney's funeral now behind us, I was just left to 236 00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:32,320 Speaker 1: sit in this new reality that my baby he was 237 00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:39,879 Speaker 1: never coming back. But still I didn't know the worst 238 00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:43,400 Speaker 1: of what had happened to Courtney. That news was winding 239 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:48,479 Speaker 1: this way across the city of Chicago. It started at 240 00:18:48,480 --> 00:18:51,920 Speaker 1: the hospital on the North Side. Someone who worked there 241 00:18:52,040 --> 00:18:55,439 Speaker 1: says something to a friend, and that friend talked to 242 00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:59,520 Speaker 1: my uncle Marvin, who's on the West side, and Uncle 243 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:04,719 Speaker 1: Marvin called my mom, who's downtown. Uncle Marvin told my 244 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:07,760 Speaker 1: mom that there was a rumor going around the hospital 245 00:19:08,240 --> 00:19:13,280 Speaker 1: that Courtney was combative. What they told him about that 246 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:17,159 Speaker 1: he was being combative. We were shocked with that information. 247 00:19:17,280 --> 00:19:20,400 Speaker 1: We really were. Police told me he collapsed in front 248 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:22,639 Speaker 1: of the station. So when did he all of a 249 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:27,560 Speaker 1: sudden get uncollapsed and become combative? Plus when he arrived 250 00:19:27,600 --> 00:19:32,000 Speaker 1: to the hospital, he was already in cardiac arrest. I 251 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:35,480 Speaker 1: asked the hospital to put together Courtney's medical records so 252 00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:42,159 Speaker 1: I can see for myself. Brent and I dropped off 253 00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:45,200 Speaker 1: our daughter at school and headed straight for the hospital 254 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:48,560 Speaker 1: for the paperwork. I started flipping through the medical records 255 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:52,240 Speaker 1: before we even left the parking lot. Right away, I 256 00:19:52,320 --> 00:19:55,399 Speaker 1: found a document all right up from the E. M. T. S. 257 00:19:56,320 --> 00:20:02,280 Speaker 1: It says my son was combative, violent, agitated, a dangerous 258 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:09,920 Speaker 1: to others, and that he was handcuffed. Handcuffed. Police never 259 00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:13,360 Speaker 1: told me about any handcuffs, And why would they handcuff 260 00:20:13,440 --> 00:20:16,320 Speaker 1: someone who's dying unless they thought he was a suspect 261 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:20,400 Speaker 1: of some kind. Brent was quiet, but I can tell 262 00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:24,399 Speaker 1: he was angry. I know how he is, and I 263 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:28,840 Speaker 1: know he didn't do anything to pose a threat. Had 264 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:33,359 Speaker 1: he been a young a young white guy, nice car, 265 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:38,320 Speaker 1: the situation would have been totally different. I thought about 266 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:40,720 Speaker 1: those detectives we had just met with. You know, you 267 00:20:40,800 --> 00:20:42,359 Speaker 1: see and hear a lot of things, but I'm actually 268 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:45,119 Speaker 1: really proud of the way the officers conducted themselves. They 269 00:20:45,119 --> 00:20:47,080 Speaker 1: were just playing me for food. You know, you can 270 00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:49,719 Speaker 1: take some comfort in that that he was there are 271 00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:52,720 Speaker 1: people there to care, and that they you know, they 272 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:57,120 Speaker 1: didn't help Brennan. I really need to process all of this. 273 00:20:57,840 --> 00:21:01,040 Speaker 1: We felt sick to our stomachs, but we knew we 274 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:03,800 Speaker 1: had to eat, so we went to one of our 275 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:09,200 Speaker 1: favorite restaurants, a place called Sweet Maple's Cafe. We drove 276 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:20,240 Speaker 1: there directly from the hospital. Our hearts were on the floor. 277 00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:32,840 Speaker 1: We couldn't stop thinking about the police handcuffing our baby. 278 00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:36,720 Speaker 1: Right when we walk in the door, lowing behold. There 279 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:40,480 Speaker 1: she is the e R nurse from the night Courtney died, 280 00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:44,040 Speaker 1: you know, the one who had held my hand and 281 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:47,280 Speaker 1: comfort of me. She was sitting with an older woman, 282 00:21:47,960 --> 00:21:51,320 Speaker 1: her mother. I told my mom, like, oh my god 283 00:21:51,359 --> 00:21:53,199 Speaker 1: that I was like, Mom, you remember the story I 284 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:54,840 Speaker 1: was telling you about when a young man got killed. 285 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:59,160 Speaker 1: I'm like, that's that is his parents right there. Clarissa 286 00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:01,960 Speaker 1: Hawkins was work in the e R when Courtney came in. 287 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:06,040 Speaker 1: She was the one who cut the clothes off his body. 288 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:11,040 Speaker 1: I had to ask her, was my baby really handcuffed? 289 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:18,080 Speaker 1: She told me he was. I remember him specifically being 290 00:22:18,280 --> 00:22:22,440 Speaker 1: handcuffed to the bed, and so we were like, okay, 291 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:26,120 Speaker 1: where's the police. We need these handcuffs off um and 292 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:30,600 Speaker 1: then maybe maybe like about I said, about a minute, 293 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:33,240 Speaker 1: and the police walked in and they took off the 294 00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:37,480 Speaker 1: They you know, took off the handcuffs. Nurse talking said 295 00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:42,000 Speaker 1: when she first saw Courtney, his right hand was handcuffed 296 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 1: to the stretcher, which was a problem because they needed 297 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:50,080 Speaker 1: to transfer him to a hospital bed so they can 298 00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:54,600 Speaker 1: work on him and they couldn't. And yeah, it was different. 299 00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:58,400 Speaker 1: I don't remember ever saying any other gunshot victims come 300 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:02,800 Speaker 1: in handcuffed. She didn't remember anything about him being combative. 301 00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:06,120 Speaker 1: So if if somebody's combattled, we know that when they're 302 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:07,720 Speaker 1: coming down, because that's one of the first thing they 303 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:10,639 Speaker 1: tell us for safety. Oh this person's could battlem so 304 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:13,359 Speaker 1: be ready. We never got that report about him that 305 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:16,080 Speaker 1: he was combative because then now our security team has 306 00:23:16,119 --> 00:23:18,560 Speaker 1: to come and we have to have extra security there. 307 00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:20,920 Speaker 1: We have to have medications on board the calm this 308 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:24,639 Speaker 1: person down. My baby must have been so scared he 309 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:28,000 Speaker 1: was all by himself, but it's a comfort to me 310 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:31,480 Speaker 1: that Nurse Hawkins showed him some compassions or something I 311 00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:33,840 Speaker 1: do personally. I remember laying my hands on his arm 312 00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:35,960 Speaker 1: and I started praying for him, like so, I don't 313 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:38,680 Speaker 1: know what happened, but please, you know, say this person life. 314 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:42,320 Speaker 1: I started praying. She didn't know anything about Courtney when 315 00:23:42,359 --> 00:23:50,800 Speaker 1: she prayed for him, just that he was somebody. We 316 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:58,800 Speaker 1: exchanged numbers and left the restaurant, but the day wasn't 317 00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:05,200 Speaker 1: over yet. It wasn't even noon. Next we had to 318 00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:10,680 Speaker 1: go to the Tollyard to get Courtney's car back. We've 319 00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:14,680 Speaker 1: been getting the runaround for weeks. The BMW was caught 320 00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:19,320 Speaker 1: between the police in the impound lot, just stuck in paperwork. 321 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:24,080 Speaker 1: I wanted all of courtney stuff back, the clothes he 322 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:29,000 Speaker 1: was wearing, his book bag, his phone, and most of all, 323 00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:38,399 Speaker 1: I wanted the car babay. Courtney's friend, Christian Hernandez, the 324 00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:41,199 Speaker 1: guy who co signed for it, had to meet us 325 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:44,760 Speaker 1: there to get it released. And the thing that shook 326 00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:48,000 Speaker 1: us both is that there was no blood in the car, 327 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:53,480 Speaker 1: but police said Courtney was shot inside the vehicle. It 328 00:24:53,680 --> 00:25:03,080 Speaker 1: simply didn't make sense we told the BMW home. A 329 00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:05,760 Speaker 1: lawyer we found was waiting for us to process the 330 00:25:05,800 --> 00:25:11,400 Speaker 1: car back in our garage. The lawyer and his colleague 331 00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:18,080 Speaker 1: took hundreds of pictures of the BMW as evidence. I 332 00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:21,200 Speaker 1: foundly felt like someone was taking my son's case seriously. 333 00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:24,440 Speaker 1: They wore gloves and put the items from the car 334 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:30,159 Speaker 1: and ziplock bags and labeled them. I stayed inside the house. 335 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:38,679 Speaker 1: It was too emotional. I've gone through those pictures of 336 00:25:38,720 --> 00:25:42,720 Speaker 1: what they found. There's lots and lots of broken glass, 337 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:47,159 Speaker 1: but besides that, it was like looking into my son's world. 338 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:04,480 Speaker 1: There's a yellow sticky note taped to his driver's side 339 00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:09,359 Speaker 1: that says marketing director. That's the job Courtney was working towards. 340 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:14,360 Speaker 1: It was his goal, and I promise you looking at that, 341 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:19,760 Speaker 1: it just broke my heart. There was a lighter, a 342 00:26:19,880 --> 00:26:25,119 Speaker 1: nutter butter wrapper, an empty Gatoray bottle, lemon line, his 343 00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:29,280 Speaker 1: favorite kind, in a parking ticket he was probably hiding 344 00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:34,359 Speaker 1: from me. There's one winter glove, no doubt he lost 345 00:26:34,359 --> 00:26:41,760 Speaker 1: the other one. He was always on the goal. Item 346 00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:48,720 Speaker 1: after item sealed up in those plastic bags. There was 347 00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:51,840 Speaker 1: a box for a new iPhone he had just gotten 348 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:54,479 Speaker 1: that phone a week before he was shot, but the 349 00:26:54,520 --> 00:27:01,320 Speaker 1: phone itself wasn't there. The police still had it a 350 00:27:01,359 --> 00:27:04,879 Speaker 1: few weeks later. When I got it back, the screen 351 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:20,760 Speaker 1: was cracked and the phone was unlocked. Everybody, every Day, 352 00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:32,560 Speaker 1: No by these Not No Somebody is a co production 353 00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:36,879 Speaker 1: of The Invisible Institute, The Intercept, Topic Studios, and I 354 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:42,199 Speaker 1: Heart Radio in association with Tenderfoot TV. I'm Chaparral Wolls. 355 00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:46,800 Speaker 1: This podcast is produced by Alison Flowers and Bill Heally. 356 00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:51,439 Speaker 1: Sarah Guice is our story editor. Ellen Glover is our 357 00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:56,520 Speaker 1: associate producer for The Invisible Institute. Jamie Calvin is executive 358 00:27:56,560 --> 00:28:01,480 Speaker 1: producer for Topic Studios. Maria Zucker and Christie Gressman and 359 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:06,320 Speaker 1: Leta Mallod are executive producers. Special thanks to Lizzie Jacobs 360 00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:11,520 Speaker 1: for The Intercept. Roger Hodge, Deputy Editor, is supervising producer. 361 00:28:12,040 --> 00:28:16,560 Speaker 1: Sound designed by Carl Scott and Bart Warshaw. Michael Raphael 362 00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:21,399 Speaker 1: is our mixed engineer. Our theme song, Everybody's Something is 363 00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:24,680 Speaker 1: by Chance the Rapper. Original music for the podcast by 364 00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:29,160 Speaker 1: Nate Fox of The Social Experiment and Eric Butler. Additional 365 00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:34,960 Speaker 1: reporting by Sam Stecklo Annie When, Khari Blackburn, Ray Jef Sinclair, 366 00:28:35,400 --> 00:28:42,600 Speaker 1: Henry Adams, Matilda Voyat, Dana Roso's kellerher Frances McDonald, Diana Archmagian, 367 00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:49,080 Speaker 1: Maddie Anderson, Andrew Fan and Rissa Apantaku. Translation support by 368 00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:53,959 Speaker 1: Benny Hernandez Occampo and Emma Perez. Fact checking by Noah 369 00:28:54,240 --> 00:28:59,640 Speaker 1: Are Jenny Special thanks to Chris Rasmussen, Bennett Epstein, Matt Topic, 370 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:04,040 Speaker 1: David Brelow, and Julie Wolf. We want to hear from you. 371 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:09,240 Speaker 1: Email us at info at somebody podcast dot com or 372 00:29:09,720 --> 00:29:13,720 Speaker 1: leave us a voicemail at seven seventy three two seven 373 00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:18,200 Speaker 1: zero zero one two one. To learn more about this 374 00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:21,560 Speaker 1: case and for links to additional materials, go to our 375 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:25,880 Speaker 1: show page at somebody podcast dot com. You can also 376 00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:28,320 Speaker 1: find a list of everyone we want to think there 377 00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:31,040 Speaker 1: so many people helped us along the way.