The family of an assistant principal who was shot and killed inside a residential building in the Loop used a Friday public rally to call on Chicago police and the Cook County state’s attorney’s office to press criminal charges against the alleged gunman.
Abnerd Joseph, 32, was fatally shot Sept. 14 around 7:30 p.m. in a hallway on the 48th floor of a building in the first block of East Monroe Street, which police listed as his address. Joseph worked as an assistant principal at the Intrinsic Schools’ downtown campus, where some students remembered him as a positive influence who made everyone feel welcome.
About 20 of Joseph’s relatives and friends spent the day handing out flyers outside the building at 60 E. Monroe St., saying they wanted to bring attention to the case. The group carried signs with color photos of Joseph’s body beside one of him dressed in a tuxedo, chanting “Justice for Abnerd” to passersby.
“It’s been five months. We’ve been more than patient,” said Jay Charles. “We need charges filed. We need the perpetrator put on trial for what he did to my brother.”
Charles, 36, said his younger brother was “an incredible human being” who “believed in changing the world” through educating children. While at Intrinsic, he said Charles helped decrease bullying and recruit new students to the public charter school.
“My brother was 32 years old. He had his whole life ahead of him,” Charles said. “His life was taken after he was shot multiple times, after he had his bathrobe on, his underwear, his socks, and his life was taken.”
Jason Friedl, a senior attorney at Romanucci & Blandin representing the family, said they’ve been in contact with the state’s attorney’s office and police, but declined to comment on specifics of the investigation.
“We hope that the investigation yields results of justice,” he said. “It’s been slow, but we’re working toward the confidence that it will work out.”
Kellie Bartoli, a spokesperson for Chicago police, said Friday that no charges have been filed in the case and that the investigation was ongoing.
A police report obtained by the Tribune noted Joseph was knocking on residents’ doors, “causing a disturbance” before the shooting. The report said Joseph punched a security guard and resident who approached him because of his “erratic behavior.”
A third man, a resident of the building who has a concealed carry license, then fatally shot Joseph with a semiautomatic pistol, the report said. Police arrested the 45-year-old man, but released him soon after without charges.
Joseph, who was shot in the chest, forearm, abdomen and lower back, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he later died. The Cook County medical examiner’s office ruled his death a homicide.
Charles said he’s never known his brother to be violent, and that he was trained to de-escalate situations as an educator.
“He was not a hostile person,” he said. “I’ve known him for 32 years.”
Before joining Intrinsic Schools in 2022, Joseph worked in Atlanta as a school administrator, and math and science teacher, according to his staff page on the school’s website. According to his biography, Joseph had been pursuing his master’s in educational leadership at Georgia State University.
“We are deeply saddened and shocked by the loss of Mr. Joseph who served our school as an empathetic leader, role model and inspiration for our students,” a September statement from Intrinsic Schools said.
Damaressa Quiles, a recruitment manager at Intrinsic Schools, attended the rally with her daughter, Bryana Colon. She said Joseph inspired Black and brown students, serving as a father figure to those who didn’t have male role models at home.
Colon said Joseph always dressed in fancy suits, and after he died, students came to school dressed in business outfits to honor him. He said he had a “good energy,” nicknamed her “Baby Dama.”
Quiles said she still struggles to visit the third floor where his office was located because she doesn’t want to face his loss.
“He was in charge of the culture at our school,” Quiles said. “He really wanted to see a change. You could see he really cared about the youth.”