Man shot woman after cousin asked him to: prosecutors

When Bryan Tart’s cousin told him to shoot the woman she had been fighting with at a party in Gresham, he didn’t hesitate, Cook County prosecutors said Friday.

As the fight between Rodjzae Funches-Heard and Tiara Lloyd turned physical on Oct. 18, multiple witnesses allegedly heard Lloyd shout “Shoot that b----.”

And that’s when 36-year-old Bryan Tart pulled the trigger, shooting Funches-Heard in the face, killing her, Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said.

Lloyd was charged with Funches-Heard’s murder last year and is currently on house arrest with electronic monitoring while awaiting trial, court records show.

Tart was ordered held without bond Friday for his alleged role in deadly shooting.

Before she was murdered, Funches-Heard, her sister and several others traveled to the 7500 block of South Emerald Avenue to attend the party that was thrown by Lloyd’s boyfriend, Murphy said.

When the group arrived, Lloyd saw Funches-Heard and insisted on talking to her.

Funches-Heard had been upset with Lloyd for how she treated Funches-Heard’s sister, but the two began a private conversation on the porch, Murphy said.

As the two women talked, Tart allegedly walked up to the pair with a “large gun” and said he was Lloyd’s cousin. But Tart put the gun in his jacket when another partygoer told him to “put the gun away,” Murphy said.

Soon, the conversation between the two woman turned physical as Lloyd swung at Funches-Heard, Murphy said.

Then, someone from Funches-Heard’s group punched Lloyd, prompting others to join the fight, Murphy said.

Multiple partygoers saw Tart — following Lloyd’s command — fire the shot that entered Funches-Heard’s lip and lodged in her head, Murphy said.

Tart was taken into custody the following month for an unrelated incident in Indiana. An arrest warrant charging him with Funches-Heard’s murder was issued shortly after, but Tart’s return to Cook County was delayed by his Indiana case until this week, Murphy said.

Tart has previous convictions for several offenses, including burglary and aggravated battery with a weapon, Murphy said.

An assistant public defender said Tart experiences seizures and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety when he was locked up before, but he did not seek treatment once he was out of prison because of a lack of resources.

The father of six is separated from his wife and hasn’t been employed since the barbershop he last worked at closed in 2019, the defense attorney added.

Tart is expected back in court July 27.