Family of school leader killed in high-rise upset after shooter released without charges: ‘He didn’t have to kill my brother’

The family of an assistant principal who was shot and killed by his neighbor in a Loop high-rise is hoping to get justice after the shooter was released without charges.

The shooting happened about 7:30 p.m. Thursday on the 48th floor of the 60 E. Monroe St. building. A police report said Abnerd Joseph, who lived several stories below, was “wildly” knocking on doors and yelling “incoherently” when four tenants and a doorman went to check what was going on.

According to the report, Joseph is alleged to have struck a doorman and knocked one tenant to the ground before another tenant, who lived on the same floor as Joseph, warned Joseph that he had a weapon. Joseph, who was unarmed, was said to have charged the man, who then shot him several times, killing him.

Joseph, 32, was shot in the chest, abdomen, flank, an armpit and a ring finger, according to a police report. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:11 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. An autopsy Friday determined he died of multiple gunshot wounds and his death was ruled a homicide, the office said.

The tenant who fired the shots called 911 and waited for police to arrive, according to the report. That man, who has a concealed-carry license, was placed into police custody and subsequently released, officials said.

In an interview Sunday, Jay Joseph said his brother had been on the phone with a friend moments before the shooting, and he was “distressed.” Jay Joseph said his brother was in tears and had told the friend to record what was going on before the phone was dropped and sounds became faint.

Jay Joseph said tenants he talked to told him his brother was in some form of distress and asking for help when he was knocking on doors.

Jay Joseph also said investigators confirmed the existence of audio and video recordings of the incident, but said they wouldn’t be released while the investigation was ongoing.

A police spokesperson said they couldn’t confirm that information Sunday evening.

While police said an investigation is still ongoing, the shooter was released from custody this weekend without any charges being filed.

While Jay Joseph said his brother had never mentioned any issues with neighbors, he believes the fact that the two men lived so close together played a role in the shooting.

“We’re hopeful that they’ll relook into this case and charge this man,” Jay Joseph said. “What he did was unnecessary, he didn’t have to kill my brother. … He could’ve stayed in his unit if he feared for his life.”

The man who shot Joseph could not be reached for comment Sunday.

The state’s attorney’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Jay Joseph described his brother as “larger than life” and noted he had been in the middle of writing a book dedicated to their older brother Brian, who had inspired the assistant principal of culture at Intrinsic School, at 79 W. Monroe St., to go into teaching.

“It’s not just our family who is affected — everybody is, the kids [he taught],” Jay Joseph said. The fatal shooting of his brother “took something good in this world.”