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A family is seeking justice for the alleged wrongful death of an assistant principal who was shot and killed by his neighbor in his apartment building, per ABC7 Chicago.
Abnerd Joseph, the assistant principal at Chicago's Intrinsic High School, was fatally shot in his apartment building on September 14, 2023.
Joseph's family recently filed a lawsuit against the building's owners, management, security, and a neighbor, identified as 45-year-old Garrett Mark Smith, who allegedly shot Joseph to death and didn't face charges.
On the night of his shooting, police said Joseph was "wildly" knocking on neighbors' doors and "yelling incoherently." Police alleged Joseph hit a doorman who went to check on him.
A police report states a neighbor who had a concealed carry license attempted to de-escalate the situation and warned Joseph that he was armed. According to police, Joseph "turned and charged" at the neighbor, prompting him to open fire.
Joseph was shot in his chest, abdomen, flank, armpit, and one of his ring fingers.
The neighbor claimed he acted out of self-defense. He was taken into custody and released without charges.
Attorneys for Joseph's family say police were on the way to the scene when a "vigilante" neighbor took matters into their own hands.
“There’s a reason that vigilante justice is illegal. And this case demonstrates exactly why,” attorney Antonio Romanucci said. “It doesn’t matter to our lawsuit at all [if Joseph had been aggressive], because even if there was some sort of physical aggression on Abnerd’s part, what we’re saying is, what you do in that situation is you step back and you deescalate and you give time.”
Joseph's family said the assistant principal had recently switched medications for his ADHD. They believe Joseph was in “emotional distress” at the time of his fatal shooting.
"He was in his socks, bathrobe, and boxer shorts, so we know he was unarmed," Romanucci noted.
An investigation into the case is still ongoing. The family is still seeking charges against the neighbor amid the lawsuit.
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