Tamia Chappman’s older sister dies in shooting in Cleveland’s South Collinwood neighborhood

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Two teenage sisters suffered violent deaths just three years apart.

Torionne Chappman, 18, the older sister of Tamia Chappman, died on Nottingham Road in Cleveland on Saturday after two men fired shots inside the vehicle she was in, police said.

Tamia Chappman, 13, died in December 2019 when she was hit by the driver of a stolen car in East Cleveland. The driver of the car was fleeing from police when he ran over a curb and hit Tamia on her way to a Christmas program at the library in East Cleveland.

Charles Moore, 19, of Cleveland, was shot and killed along with Torionne Chappman, of Cleveland Heights, while sitting inside the vehicle. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. Another 19-year-old woman was injured in the shooting.

The shooting followed another violent murder in Cleveland. Just a week before Moore and Torionne Chappman died, Jamal Cozart, 25, of Cleveland was shot during the day at DELUXWASH, a car wash located at East 116th Street and Superior Avenue. Police said more than one suspect may have been involved in the shooting.

Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer contacted Cleveland police officials to ask if any arrests had been made following either of the shootings.

Torionne Chappman was still grappling with the death of her little sister, a family lawyer said. A teenager, D’Shaun McNear, 15, punched Tamia following a chase that began with a carjacking on West 117th Street. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Attorney Stanley Jackson of the Cochran Law Firm in Cleveland is representing the Chappman family in a lawsuit filed against Cleveland police over the lawsuit he claims caused Tamia’s death.

“[Torionne] was hopeful in his efforts to obtain justice and accountability for Tamia and the Chappman family,” Jackson said.

In 2020, attorneys for Tamia’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city. The case is pending in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. On Thursday, Jackson and attorney Shean Williams demanded that the city pay the family $20 million for the child’s death. A city attorney declined to comment.