It’s been almost a year since Abnerd Joseph was fatally shot by a fellow resident of his downtown Chicago condominium while he was experiencing a mental health crisis and knocking on neighbors’ doors. Today, his family still has more questions than answers.

“Why has the shooter not been charged in 347 days? And why does it seem like my brother’s life is being forgotten or held to a lesser standard than others? Why can’t we get answers? Why can’t we get justice? Why can’t Abnerd get justice? I’m tired of why. Our mother is tired of (asking) ‘Why?’” Joseph’s sister Jeanna Kelley said during an emotional statement at a press conference early this week. She wore a black t-shirt emblazoned with the demand: “Justice for Abnerd Joseph.” 

As MindSite News reported earlier this year, Joseph was the beloved assistant principal of culture at Intrinsic High School, a charter school with nearly 700 mostly Black and Hispanic students pulled from neighborhoods across the city. After the disruptions and virtual learning forced by the COVID-19 pandemic, Joseph earned the trust of his students with his openness and consistency.

Students saw in the young, well-dressed Black man with shoulder-length dreadlocks someone they could strive to be like, someone in a position of power. He was smart, with infectious energy and positivity, but he was also vulnerable, sharing his singing voice and songs with the students. 

A Lifeline for Others Denied Help

Since his death, Kelley has heard more and more about how he helped both his students and his friends with their mental health battles, even as he fought his own. 

“He was kind to a degree that I’ve never seen. His students saw it and they knew they had an ally in Mr. Joseph,” Kelley said. “Several of his friends came up to me and said that he helped them battle depression. Several students came up to us and said that had it not been for Mr. Joseph, they would have acted on their suicidal thoughts.

“In his most vulnerable time, he was denied that help that he so effortlessly gave to everybody else,” she added.

Some time before 7:30 p.m. on September 14th, Joseph left his condo on the 29th floor of the Legacy at Millennium Park wearing a bathrobe, boxers, and socks. From there, he began knocking on his neighbors doors saying he feared for his life. Fellow tenants called 911 to report he was visibly disoriented and requested a wellness check. 

Though they are unsure what caused the emotional distress, his family said Monday he had attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder and had recently received a new prescription medicine that could have been responsible for his anxiety.

After Joseph left the floor, Smith, a fellow resident of the 29th floor, went to speak with security in the lobby of the building armed with a 9mm semi-automatic Sig Sauer P938. After the conversation, Smith, another tenant, and the security guard pursued Joseph, instead of waiting for police to arrive, according to the lawsuit.

Moments after confronting Joseph in a hallway on the 48th floor, Smith shot him in the left hand, left forearm, chest, underarm, and twice in the abdomen, according to the lawsuit. 

Accounts given in police reports and summarized by the Chicago Sun-Times describe a more complex and volatile interaction. 

When a group of tenants approached Joseph on the 48th floor, he struck the doorman and another tenant several times. Joseph also “turned and charged” at Smith, who fired at Joseph after warning that he was armed, the Chicago Sun-Times reported at the time. 

Abnerd Joseph Family Seeks Justice Through Civil Suit

Attorneys for the family have done little to reconcile the differences between the accounts. They pointed to the civil suit as a means of gathering the evidence necessary to determine what really happened in those final moments of Joseph’s life. Either way, attorney Antonio Romanucci contends, the response was inappropriate and not self-defense since Smith had “hunted” him throughout the building. 

The family of seven didn’t come home with more answers this week. Bill Conway, the alderman for the 34th ward, which includes the building where Joseph was killed, called the shooting a “tragic crime,” but added no more details about the current status of the case.

The office of Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx declined to comment, but said the office was working with police on the ongoing investigation. 

Attorneys for the Joseph family filed a civil suit four months ago against Smith – the man who shot their brother – along with the building’s owner, property-management firm and security company. 

The attorneys urged Foxx and the police department to complete their investigation and file charges so the family could receive some kind of closure.

“We have seen how quickly charges can be brought,” said Romanucci. “Charges can come within days. We want to know why it’s taken nearly a year. This family has waited an excruciating long time from criminal justice. They are looking for answers and we don’t have those answers,”

“Not only do they continue to mourn the loss of this man with high potential, but their grief is overlaid with a firm belief that he did not need to die, that something very wrong went down in that building and Abnerd should still be alive.”