CHICAGO — New details have emerged about the moments leading up to the fatal shooting of a charter school administrator inside a downtown Chicago highrise condo building on Thursday evening.
Abnerd Joseph, 32, was shot several times and died shortly after 8 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office, which ruled his death a homicide. When used by the medical examiner, the term “homicide” means that a person’s life was taken by another person. It does not necessarily mean that the act was criminal.
Joseph was assistant principal of culture at the Intrinsic Schools’ downtown campus at 79 West Monroe, according to the school’s website.
Police initially received a report of a trespassing in progress at the building, 60 East Monroe, around 7:30 p.m., but that was quickly followed by reports of shots fired and a person shot on the 48th floor.
An officer found Joseph lying in the hallway with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition and was subsequently pronounced dead.
A CPD report documenting the shooting said Joseph had been knocking on doors to condo units and trying to enter some residences. It said Joseph hit the building’s doorman and a tenant who tried to de-escalate the situation.
At that point, a 45-year-old building resident instructed Joseph to stop assaulting people and informed Joseph that he had a firearm, the report said. Joseph “charged” at the man, who fired several shots.
Investigators said they found six shell casings at the scene.
After the shooting, the 45-year-old called 911 and identified himself as a concealed carry holder. Police took him to Area Three headquarters for questioning. No charges have been filed as of Friday afternoon.
Joseph’s biography on the Intrinsic School site says he joined the downtown campus in the summer of 2022.
“His main areas of focus are school climate, student discipline, school-wide transitions and procedures, and student safety,” the site says. “Abnerd has five years of experience as an assistant principal, and comes to Intrinsic from KIPP Metro Atlanta Schools.”
The site quotes Joseph as saying he felt the school’s Loop location “is a beautiful way to expose our students to what the City of Chicago truly has to offer. I believe every student can achieve at high levels regardless of previous circumstances that otherwise hinder them.”