Sister of man killed at CTA Loop station calls for justice: ‘People shouldn’t have to go through this.’

Within moments, Carmelia Harper went from sleeping at her home to grasping the news that her brother was killed in a fight at the the CTA Clark/Lake station Saturday night.

“This couldn’t be real,” Harper, 50, told the Chicago Sun-Times Monday morning. “It’s unbelievable.”

Robert Harper, 56, was fighting with another man on the platform about 10:30 p.m. in the 100 block of West Lake Street when he suffered an injury to his head, Chicago police said.

Chicago firefighters found Harper unresponsive and took him to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

The man Harper was fighting was taken into custody and charges were pending as of Monday morning, officials said.

Carmelia Harper doesn’t know what sparked the argument that resulted in her brother’s death but stressed that justice was “very important.”

“People shouldn’t have to go through this,” Carmelia Harper said. “It’s awful, it’s devastating.”

Carmelia Harper loved the way her brother cooked chicken and baked cookies.

“He’s cooked practically all his life,” she said. “He was a good cook.”

Robert Harper grew up on West 49th Street and South Cicero Avenue before moving further south, his sister said. He was unemployed at the time of his death, but previously worked as a certified nursing assistant.

Carmelia Harper last saw her brother years ago when he came to stay for Thanksgiving, she says. He was unhoused and in-and-out-of jail, though he was most recently released two weeks ago.

Despite his struggles, Robert Harper still cared deeply about his two sisters, according to Carmelia Harper.

“He was always there when we needed him.”

(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *