It’s been almost a year, but there are some wounds time just can’t heal.
On Sept. 21, 2016, Charlese Zinnerman was shot in the head while driving near 10th Street and Belleview Place on Indianapolis’ west side. Later at the hospital, Zinnerman was pronounced dead, and her organs were distributed among six transplant recipients.
She was 22 years old.
Zinnerman’s death is just one of the more than 80 homicides that happened in Indianapolis last year and remained unsolved by year’s end. So far this year, at least three dozen of the city’s homicide investigations carry the same weighty designation: “Disposition: Unsolved.”
Some of the women in Zinnerman’s life spoke with the Recorder recently about their loss, the harrowing search for answers and their hope that, some day, justice will be served.
Shots fired
Wendy Jenkins, Charlese’s stepmother: “She was over in the Haughville area. Earlier in the day, there had been a driveby at this particular house. I guess they were all sitting there posted up. When she turns the block, somebody I guess thought, “They’re back,” and they came outside and started firing. I don’t know what made her look their way, but she was shot in the forehead. Her car crashed, her 5-year-old daughter (Skye) jumped out and went up to a house and told them she needed help, that her mommy was dead. Since then, we’re just trying to pick up the pieces. Her daughter goes to my childcare; we’re just trying to stay strong for her.
Tamu Coleman, Charlese’s mother: When I got the call, I was told she had been in an accident. On my way to the hospital I received a call from one of her friends who said she had been shot. When I got to the hospital, I found out what happened. She went over to a friend’s house a street over from where she was shot. When she left there and turned the corner, that’s when somebody started shooting. And she caught a bullet. She was dead when I got to the hospital. It makes me angry that I wasn’t there to help my granddaughter. I’m just at home, in the bed asleep.
Sandy Zinnerman, Charlese’s grandmother: We were home in bed, and my daughter came in and woke me up, she said, “Mama, we don’t know if someone’s acting silly or what, but we just got a call that Charlese got shot in the head.” I said, “Give me the phone, somebody’s probably acting silly.” And then something just came over me. And I said let’s get up and see what’s going on.
I went (to the hospital) and they kept saying she was gone. And I didn’t want to believe it. I asked her aunt how she was doing, and she said, “I think she’s already gone.” And I lost it. They were all trying to hold me down. I said I just want to see her. This lady kept trying to comfort me and I said, “Take the bullet out of her head,” and I was seeing all these tubes everywhere on her. I just couldn’t take it. I just kept telling her, “I want you to get on up. Quit playing with me.” And she just laid there. I still hear her in my mind.
Wendy: I was just thankful that Skye knocked on the right door, because she could’ve knocked on the wrong door, and the situation could have been even worse.
Tamu: She could have even caught one of the bullets, you know? That’s why (investigators, media) should make it a big deal; there was a child in the car.
The aftermath
Tamu: I have my good days and my bad days. I’m just angry, because the people who (I suspect) did the shooting, they knew my daughter very well. They didn’t know it was her at the time, but when they found out it was her, they should’ve stepped up and owned up to their mistake.
Sometimes I don’t even know how I feel. I’m angry. I’m hurt. I try to stay busy so it won’t be on my brain a lot. A lot of things I don’t do, because I still have my daughter’s child to take care of. I have to think about her before I do something crazy myself. I want to go knock on doors and confront people, but people are so quick to pull out guns, it’s ridiculous. When I heard the story about the lady who got shot up by Long’s Bakery, it just opened up old wounds for me.
Wendy: The hurt is real, and it’s just sad that you try to steer your kids the right way, and even with them not out in the world doing crazy stuff themselves, harm still comes.
Tamu: (Skye is) OK.
Wendy: She’s alright now, but she was afraid to be riding out in the car.
Tamu: I think it’s really going to affect her when she’s older. Right now, all she’s worried about is birthdays and, you know, what 6-year-olds do. She talks about her mother all the time. She knows her mother’s gone, and she knows her mother’s never coming back. She does understand that part. I don’t think it’s really hit her yet; it’ll probably hit her when she gets older. I used to try to talk to her about it to see if she remembers anything, but I let her bring it up. I don’t just bring it up.
(I see Charlese in Skye) all the time! She and my son, they act just like how he and Charlese used to act. It’s crazy; when they get to arguing, I call her Charlese. I forget that’s not Charlese; that’s Skye. It’s OK though; that’s going to happen.
Sandy: (My grief) is not as bad now as it used to be, but I still keep hearing her in my mind. “Did you cook? I’m on my way over there, me and Skye.”
The family’s changed. Everybody’s just, not close at all. I don’t know why really.
Wendy: I think everybody grieves differently, and some people shut down.
Cold case
Tamu: I don’t know too much about the investigation anymore, because any time I call, they never answer the phone. When I found out the people were moving out of the house, I called them. I left a message to let them know.
Wendy: Is anybody else following along with them? I don’t think the family (of the victim) should have to follow up and do the detectives’ job.
Tamu: I try not to watch the news, but it’s hard to avoid on Facebook. But when certain people get killed, they make it a big deal. I’m not trying to sound racist, but with those two little Delphi girls, they’re constantly talking about it. My daughter got killed and it was talked about for maybe a week, and now it’s nothing. But I’m on social media, and the people that killed her are on social media, so I constantly bring her up, post pictures, because I want them to not forget about what they’ve done.
Wendy: Hopefully one day somebody will step up and say something. From what I understand, detectives know which house the bullets came from, they just don’t have any hard evidence, and anybody who lives at the house is saying they were not home at the time.
Tamu: Evidently they know the gunfire came from a certain porch, but they’re not able to prove who was shooting the gun. The people that lived in that house, they just moved like two weeks ago. It’s still unsolved. They don’t have anybody to say it was them shooting, so they haven’t locked anybody up yet.
Sandy: I keep saying, as long as it’s been, they’re going to come forward and tell the truth by now. But nobody wants to tell on themselves. Somebody knows something. I keep praying that it’ll come to pass. We just want justice. That would put a lot of people’s minds at ease.
Tamu: Even if they’re locked up, I’m still going to be angry, because it’s not fair. She was at work all day for 12 hours, came and picked her daughter up, got her hair done … and never made it home.
Wendy: It’s just crazy that, like Tamu said, Charlie was not the target. I know nobody wants to go to prison, but at some point, when do you wake up and say, ‘I know these people are hurting. They want justice. I did the wrong thing, and I need to confess and get this off of my conscience.’
Anyone with information about this or another crime is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at (317) 262-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous. Tips can also be submitted online at crimetips.org.
Charlese Zinnerman
