Somebody

When Shapearl Wells's son Courtney is found outside a Chicago police station with a fatal bullet wound, Shapearl immediately distrusts the official narrative.

Best Serialized Story2020 Third Coast / Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition

2020 / Shapearl Wells / Alison Flowers / Bill Healy / Sarah Geis / Bart Warshaw / Somebody Podcast, USA

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When Shapearl Wells's son Courtney is found outside a Chicago police station with a fatal bullet wound, Shapearl immediately distrusts the official narrative.

So she launches her own investigation into her son’s murder and teams up with journalists from the Invisible Institute to confront the cops and find the truth about Courtney's death. Somebody explores the racial disparities and turbulent relationship between law enforcement and citizens in one of America’s largest cities.

Somebody was narrated by Shapearl Wells, produced by Alison Flowers and Bill Healy, and edited by Sarah Geis for Invisible Institute, Topic Studios, The Intercept and iHeart Radio, in association with TenderfootTV. It was mixed by Michael Raphael with sound design by Bart Warshaw and Carl Scott.

produced by

Bill Healy

Bill Healy (@chicagoan) is a freelance journalist based in Chicago. He produces StoryCorps for WBEZ and teaches documentary radio at Northwestern University. He has won awards from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and the Radio-Television-Digital News Association.

Sarah Geis

Sarah Geis (@sarahegeis) is a independent radio producer and editor, a former artistic director of Third Coast and the keeper of audioplayground.xyz.

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