Police aren’t sure the weave was the key but Chantal’s uncle; Randy Berry is.

"They assumed that when the bullet kind of went in, it bounced out because she had the weave in her hair," he told NBC 5 in Chicago.

Berry believes the incident had to do with a prior shooting involving another uncle.

"There was the 'East Side, West Side' type of thing going on," he began. “They told her that because she was affiliated with him, they were going to shoot her also."

Hammontree was conscious when she was taken to a hospital and is expected to recover.

 More here.

About the Author

Featured

Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com