A 22 year old is shot in his BMW; his mother fights for justice
Courtney Copeland is described as a hardworking, fun-loving 22-year-old. He recently was rewarded a BMW through his job where he worked as a travel agent for World Ventures. His mother says that Courtney had a gift that made people feel special and important - a rare quality. He would even assist the single moms he knew by picking up their kids from school and taking them to any extracurricular activities. Courtney was also friends with Chance the Rapper, who Courtney knew as, Chancellor J Bennett when they both attended Jones College Prep High School and described Courtney as somebody everyone loved.
In the early morning hours of March 3, 2016, Courtney was last seen hanging with friends at a local pizzeria. After he left the pizzeria, he had plans to visit his girlfriend. He pulled up to his friend's home, called to let them know he arrived. When his friend opened the door Courtney was nowhere to be found. Courtney was shot in the back of the chest and drove towards the nearest police station to seek help before he collapsed.
Courtney was rushed to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center for treatment. Law enforcement informed Courtney's mother, Shapearl Wells about the incident. Courtney succumbed to his injuries and passed away in the hospital. When Shapearl went to pick up the medical records she would learn that Courtney was brought to the hospital in handcuffs. Why would a shooting victim be handcuffed? Per the paramedics' report, he was violent and agitated, which was the alleged reason why the handcuffs were placed on Courtney.
However, this information did not sit well with Shapearl and prompted her to create a podcast to chronicle her investigation of what happened to her son. His case remains unsolved, but his family is still actively fighting for justice. If you have any information, please contact the Courtney Copeland Memorial Foundation.
