Courtney's Book Bag

watchdog agency that oversees city government. It's a powerful and important agency, so their investigations can take a long time, but they can also lead to real change. Their job is to root out corruption and uncover misconduct among government officials and sometimes the police. Depending on their findings, they can recommend a change in rules or even disciplinary action. Chaprol is hopeful that the Inspector General can uncover even

more about the final moments of her son's life. And another quick update, there's a new teaching guide for the podcast. You can find it online at Invisible Dot Institute slash teach dash somebody with schools mostly online this year. It's a great way to engage high school students in conversations around race and policing. Now our episode, we still have some a few more books backs left. We have about

sanmore left. You did ticket. Every year since Courtney died, Chapol hosts a free book bag party through the Foundation in his name. It's a big back to school community event. There's always a ton of food, music, and some of Courtney's friends give free haircuts to kids. It's all beautiful. I love a great day. But this year's book bag giveaway was a lot to friend Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Fewer people, quieter spaced out here, chaparl on Facebook Life. She's a

little muffled because she's wearing a mask. Are you there. I'm sorry, I'm getting everybody today. We're giving away bookbag because we have hundreds of bookbags left. We are also giving away free haircuts today, so I want to turn

around so you can see they have some availability. We're taking haircuts two at a time because of COVID, but we do have chaperl and the Foundation still pulled it off and gave away three hundred book bags this year, even with schools not reopening full time in the pandemic. It was a bittersweet start to the school season. Courtney's own book bag ended up being a recurring theme over the three years at the Invisible Institute investigated the case

with Chaparl. So today we're going to dive into that Lebron James book bag and why it was actually pretty important understanding what happened to Courtney. And then we're going to remember one of Courtney's best friends who was featured in the podcast, Steve Otero, Courtney's book Bag. It's become very special to Chaparl since Courtney's death. When we recorded our final episode of the podcast, Chaparral brought Courtney's book

back to the studio just to be among us. And that book bag is the reason why for a long time, Chapel didn't think Courtney died in an attempted robbery. The reason why that theory didn't pay for me as far as a car jack is because nothing was taken from Courtney. He had a cell phone, he had his wallet, his book bag, his iPad, his vehicle, all of that was still in the car. Courtney as a person was very careful with his surrounding. If he felt like uneasy about

a situation, he would actually leave. So whatever happened to Courtney that night, it was something that he was blind aside by. Inside Courtney's book bag, was his iPad, and even though the police report clearly listed the iPad as being inside the BMW, it was missing. When Chaparll got the car back from the impound lot, I x CPD about his iPad. They said that they didn't they didn't have the iPad and they never saw iPad. I said, did you check the iPad to see if your head

and he captured anything. I said, because you know, iPads do have cameras on them. They said, we have too much. We don't have space to catalog everything. I said, okay, this is the type of things when I say inconsistencies that bother me. So this is why I have little to no trust in what they're saying. That iPad and the book bag was a major rabbit hole. Chapelle and I went down for a long time. We tried that

finder iPad feature and it didn't work. We knew. The officers on scene after Courtney pulled up to the station and collapsed, went through his book bag because that's where he kept his I D and Courtney's BMW co signer Christian Hernandez told us that when he went to the impound lot to get the car, the book bag was dumped out, which was unusual because Courtney kept his car pretty clean. When as soon as I walk in there, the car was a mess. That was like somebody was

going through it because his jeans were everywhere. Trip to me grabbed the book bag at his belongings. His book back was wide open um if he were parking, how would we tend to get out of the car, what steps should we take? Would you reach for anything or do anything? Like? In general, he's getting out of the car, who reached for his book back? It will always be in the back seat, always somewhere in the back seat,

usually on the seats on the floor. We heard the same thing from Alma, the coworker Courtney was going to see that night. It's a convertible, you know, it's a It's a little car for a big guy. So normally he would get out of his car, pull the seat forward, and then reach into the back to get his backpack. He would never leave his backpack in the car. He would always take it with him. I think it's like the weight of it, the weight of the backpack, like

he felt. I guess like he wasn't alone. When Alma got home from the hospital the morning, Courtney died. She said, everything became clear what must have happened. When she saw the skid marks by the church where he usually parked. Everything started to make sense. I feel like he parked, he was getting out of his car. Maybe he was reaching for his backpack. That makes sense to me, you know, if he was shot in the back, I feel like

he probably didn't see who shot him. When we spoke to a firearms forensic expert, he thought that Courtney was likely ducking out of the way when he saw danger coming. Based on the low height of the car and the angles someone would have had to shoot into the car. But Chaparral kind of agreed with Alma on this one car. It's just it's low, so it would have ended he was getting his back he was getting his bag out, and that would be all plausible, you know, after how

he got shot in the back. And the tragic irony is that right as Courtney was probably reaching for that book bag, that familiar weight that made him feel so safe, he likely didn't realize the danger that was right there. Since the podcast aired, many of you from all over the world have left Chaparral such kind words on our voicemail and by email. Here's a few of Chaparral's favorite messages.

I am just a single mom with two kids driving to Hilton Head left Virginia Beach early this morning, and I have to tell you that those episodes that I just lifted up to somebody podcast about Courtney Copeland less all of you here in Sport. When you talk to that cop my god, oh my god, those are the peabody to that episode. You are one badass. Okay. You have the same exact kind of shries that I know my mom would have for me. It's something like that

happened to me. We're living in a horrible time, UM, where it is every day mnus and throwing our face to black and brown bodies do not matter at all, and it's very heartbreaking and discouraging to live in this space. By it, I tune in and listen every week. UM, I hope you find the answers that you're looking for. And I'm so grateful for this podcast and that you have a group of people that care enough to help

you in this search. These messages have meant so much to Chaparral because not only did we release this podcast right at the beginning of the pandemic and and the podcast right as conversations around state violence. We're taking hold of us yet again. But Chaparral's family experienced another loss. One of Courtney's very best friends, Stephen O'to, died back in April. He was I'll tell you, this is the second hardest thing that I ever had to do. It

was just such a beautiful day. The sun was shining. Steve the sister Kesha, she was crying. I'm like, what's wrong, Kesha, And she was, well, they're calling my sisters to tell me that Stephen passed away. When it finally hit me that Stephen was gone, heart re shattered in a million pieces. Courtney and Steve met his kids in cis Row and played baseball together. It was funny because Courney, ever since he was little, he was super chunky and like he

was still run fast. He was still like be real active. You know. In our league, he would have a whole bunch of home runs. Steve was like a son to Chapel. In fact, she says now that it's like losing two sons. She used to take him in Courtney all over the place in her van for sports trips. She threw them in eighth grade graduation party. She took them to New York. Stephen told us their friendship really took root at a school dance party. It was crazy because we're like the

highlight of it. We're getting all the girls. Everybody was getting crowded around us, and it was the Soldier Boy had that song, Soldier Boy, and we're doing the dance and stuff the dance many Superman. We talked to Steve extensively over the last few years. He was one of the people who immediately went to the crime scene to collect evidence after Courtney was shot. Steve saw skid marks and broken glass by the church, and he talked to a woman who lived at the corner and heard gunshots.

In the early days of the case, he was right there with Chaparl investigating. We'd like to let this tape of Steve play out a little. Producer Bill Healy recorded Chaparl and him reminiscing back in Courtney. I had like he's like a leader man, and that guy always told me like he always tried to push me to do better. And what two years, three years, three years Corney hit the type of relationship with his friends, like he would

do anything for his friends. And so with Stephen, he was like, my Stephen needs to come stay with us, and I was like stap. I was like, okay, well, what's cooling on with Stephen? So but he was already sneaking Stephen in for like three or four weeks before he told me that, and so I was like okay, and then he was like, yeah, he's going through something and I want to help him. I said, okay, we're gonna help Stephen. And so Stephen, he was like, Stephen,

you gotta finish school, Stephen, you gotta do this. Let's go to church, and you know, you try to give them the same kind of guidance that you're giving your own children. It's just so happened that Stephen stayed with us for like, like he said, three years, just about all the high school, right, yeah, definitely. And at that point for like you know, accepted with the family. And then it was like something more to me, like more important. It was like a brotherhood that had a family, and

I haven't already had a family. But you know, it's crazy are some people that they're not your family, but they care so much for you, you know, and they want to do see you do good, Stephen. You also got tattoo. Oh yes, I didn't really have that much money or whatever, but I went to the casino. I was like, man, if I win, it's for Cordney. That same week, I was able to win like five hundred bucks, and um, right away I went to go get a very detailed portrait tattoo of Corney and this picture he

had actually took with his mom. I picked this one because he looked very happy. That's really nice. My guardian angel. Yes, his father passed away and he had on his arm that that's his guarden angel. I took that from him. I made him my guardian angel. Every time I felt bad or anything, I just looked down, you know, I looked down and I see him right there. So you guys got all these tattoos had my back. They tattoo buddy at first tattoo. We we got the same tattoo,

matching tattoos. We got an art on our chest across our chest. You know, since we played a lot of basketball or whatever, we wrote ball to Life Fall and we used that model as like to go hard, you know, to go hard to to the very last of you. So you recently had a little baby girl. Yes. You know, after after what happened to Corny, I was like, man like, it made me think about my life. You know, I need to get serious and focus, and you know, I wanted to start my own family. So you know, I

was able to just have my baby. She's four months, you know, and I know Corney would have been going crazy because it will be like, oh, uncle Theo, like that was his niece, you know, and it's something that I wished he could have seen. You know, that's one of the main reasons I decided to have a baby too, just to stay more focused and where about my family, you know, and sheished them because you never know when

it's your last day. From the Somebody team, we'd like to in the O Tero's and all of Steve's family, our love, peace to you, everybody, sood everything. Nobody. Somebody is a co production of The Invisible Institute, Topic Studios, The Intercept, and I Heart Radio in association with Tenderfoot TV. This bonus episode was produced by me Alison Flowers, Rissa Apantaku, Bill Healy, and Sarah Geye for The Invisible Institute. Jamie Calvin is executive producer for Topic Studios. Christie Kressman is

executive producer. Sound designed by Rissa open Taku. Our theme song, Everybody Something is by Chance the Rapper. Original music for this podcast by Eric Butler and Nate Fox of The Social Experiment. We'd love to hear from you. Email us at info at Somebody podcast dot com or leave us a voicemail at seven seven three two seven zero zero one to one. To learn more about this case and for links to additional materials, go to our show page

at topic dot com. Slash Somebody Everybody, Somebody's everything, Nobody's nothing. Who