Family of assistant principal fatally shot in the Loop file wrongful death lawsuit

The family of an assistant principal who was shot and killed inside a residential building in the Loop filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the alleged gunman, building management and its security, saying they “violated policies and common sense.”

Abnerd Joseph, 32, was fatally shot on Sept. 14 around 7:30 p.m. in a hallway on the 48th floor of a building at 60 E. Monroe St., which police listed as his address. Joseph worked as an assistant principal at the Intrinsic Schools’ downtown campus, where one co-worker said he inspired Black and brown students.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court, alleges that a security guard and two tenants “(took) matters into their own hands” by following and confronting Joseph instead of waiting for police officers to arrive at the building, needlessly leading to his death. It said they were not trained to handle the “mental health crisis” that Joseph was experiencing.

Read more of Rebecca Johnson's reporting on the lawsuit in the Chicago Tribune.