TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)— Chazz Courtney, the 19-year-old Terre Haute resident charged with three counts of attempted murder, was in court Wednesday for the third day of his jury trial.
Courtney was arrested and charged after allegedly shooting three individuals in March of 2024. A Probable Cause Affidavit (PCA) states that Courtney confronted one of the victims, Robert Trump, at a gas station located at 13th and Poplar, in Terre Haute, accusing him of being a “snitch.” After leaving the station, Trump returned home to the 200 block of Thompson Street.
Authorities stated that Courtney allegedly knocked on the door, spoke with Trump’s parents about their son, before being told to leave, then allegedly exchanged gunfire with Robert, who grabbed his mother’s gun from upstairs.
On Wednesday, Detective Devon Huebner of the Terre Haute Police Department showed jurors a video of a dark van similar to the one Courtney was riding in. The video showed the vehicle making three laps along Thompson Street to Margaret Avenue, before continuing to Thompson around the time the shooting occurred.
The second witness called was Sergeant Joseph Pearce of the Terre Haute Police Department. Sgt. Pearce stated that he works with the U.S. Marshals. Sgt. Pearce stated that his unit was the one sent to locate Courtney and his aunt, Nichole Shaffer, who was driving the vehicle the night of the shooting, according to court documents.
Sgt. Pearce stated that they located Courtney in the same van at a Marathon gas station in Indianapolis. Sgt. Pearce noticed that Courtney was wearing a facial covering similar to a balaclava and when Shaffer went inside, they moved in for the arrest. During the arrest, Courtney was found with a .380-caliber handgun in his left pocket and called out that he had a 9mm handgun in the vehicle.
Finally, Julie Mauer was called in. Mauer is a forensic scientist who works for the Indiana State Police Lab in Indianapolis, which handles most of the DNA analysis for the state. Mauer stated that she was the one who analyzed evidence in the case. Mauer was sent swabs from both of the handguns belonging to Courtney when he was arrested, as well as DNA from both Courtney and Shaffer. Mauer stated that the DNA evidence came back, stating that it is a trillion times more likely that they handled those weapons more than any other two random people.
Courtney has been charged with three counts of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated battery, one count of battery by means of a deadly weapon, and one count of criminal recklessness.
Courtney’s trial is scheduled to resume on Thursday.
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