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Chicago crime: Brother of woman found dead in garbage can charged in separate shooting
A Chicago man is accused of shooting a woman he believed knew what happened to his sister, whose body was found in a garbage can earlier this month.
CHICAGO - A Chicago man whose sister was found dead in a garbage can earlier this month is now charged with shooting a woman he believed had information about her death, according to court documents.
Chicago man accused of shooting woman after sister's death
What we know:
Javan Weatherspoon is charged with attempted murder after prosecutors said he shot a 45-year-old woman around 2:15 p.m. Sunday in the 5400 block of South Halsted Street in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.
According to court documents, the woman was one of the people who discovered the body of Weatherspoon's sister, Zenobia Weatherspoon, in a garbage can earlier this month.
Prosecutors said surveillance video captured the confrontation in a liquor store parking lot near 54th Street and Halsted Street.
Court records say Javan Weatherspoon approached the woman while yelling something to the effect of, "What do you know about my sister?" The two argued before he allegedly struck her in the head with a gun, causing a gash and knocking her to the ground.
Prosecutors said he then stood over the woman and shot her in the left hip. After briefly leaving, he returned and fired another shot, but it did not strike her.
The woman was taken to the University of Chicago Hospital, where she was treated for the gunshot wound and a possible stroke after being hit in the head.
Weatherspoon was arrested Wednesday. A judge ordered him held in custody following his detention hearing Thursday.
Court documents also noted that Weatherspoon threatened the same woman earlier Sunday while the two were trying to steal a television together.
The backstory:
Zenobia Weatherspoon's remains were found inside a garbage can in an alley near 54th Street and Union Avenue around 6:30 p.m. on July 11. The alley is about two blocks from her home.
Known to family and friends as "Zee," Zenobia Weatherspoon was described as a caring woman studying to become a nurse. Relatives said she had not been seen for about two weeks before her body was found and insisted she did not live a high-risk lifestyle.
"My sister was smart, always intelligent. She was someone you grow in love with," Javan Weatherspoon said shortly after her death.
Her family has urged investigators to continue pursuing the case.
"We just ask this doesn't go unnoticed. Too much Black women suffer behind violence, then it goes as a cold case," cousin Fatima McKay said.
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Family of Chicago woman found dead in garbage can calls for justice
Family members and neighbors gathered outside Weatherspoon's home, releasing heart-shaped balloons in her memory.
Family members also asked people to stop sharing video showing Zenobia Weatherspoon's body on social media.
"It's very shocking but also disturbing, that someone would share an image of her like that. It's really hurtful," cousin Tatiana Phillips said.
Loved ones held a balloon release in her honor.
"It's just us letting her know we're going to find justice for her. We will," Phillips said.
Zenobia Weatherspoon's death remains classified as a death investigation, not a homicide investigation. Police have not announced any arrests or filed charges related to her death.
The Source: The information in this story came from the Chicago Police Department, court documents, and the family of Javan and Zenobia Weatherspoon.