'Left in the dark': Tiru Chabba's family asks for answers in wake of his death

Getting answers may be difficult, maybe even impossible, but lawyers hired by Tiru Chabba's family are determined to try.

"Losing a father, having children, and you can't explain why," Bakari Sellers said. "When your dad goes on a work trip, they're supposed to come home."

Two days after students returned to the Florida State University student union, Sellers, a prominent civil rights attorney of Columbia, South Carolina, held a press conference asking for transparency and answers about Chabba's death, who was one of the victims of the FSU mass shooting .

Sellers, alongside Jim Bannister and J Robert Bell III, thanked law enforcement, the Tallahassee community, Gov. Ron DeSantis, FSU and FSU President Richard McCullough, specially noting that McCullough attended Chabba's funeral last week.

"The reason we're here today is because the Chabba family just wants individuals to know their heartfelt sense of gratitude, but also we're asking for a thorough and transparent investigation," Sellers said. "We believe that that's necessary for healing."

Transparency is also what they think is necessary to stop these acts of violence from continuing throughout the country. The trio said the only conversation the Chabba family has had with law enforcement was when they were notified of his death.

The Tallahassee Police Department said it remains committed to conducting a thorough investigation and that its victim advocates have been in contact with the victims' families and "remain a resource to them throughout this process."

"Our hearts continue to go out to the families and the victims involved in this tragedy," TPD said.

"I appreciate the words of the Chabba family's attorneys today. I and everyone else at Florida State share the family's grief. We share their anger," said President Richard McCullough in a statement. "We share their desire for answers. I can assure you Florida State University is fully cooperating with law enforcement, and we too look forward to the day when all the facts are known."

Chabba, a 45-year-old husband and father of two, was one of two people shot and killed April 17 by a 20-year-old student gunman. He and the second victim, Robert Morales , were both working at the time of their deaths.

In the hours after the shooting, Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil revealed that the gunman used his stepmom's gun in the rampage . The gun he used was a former service weapon that the deputy had purchased when she received a new gun.

"He has been steeped in the Leon County Sheriff's Office family, engaged in a number of training programs, so it's not a surprise to us that he had access to weapons," McNeil said of the gunman.

TPD is the lead agency investigating the shooting, while LCSO is investigating how the gunman was able to access the firearm.

"We want accountability in the criminal process that's being undertaken now," Sellers said. "We're looking for accountability from the university to see what if anything they could have done to prevent it or prevent these things from happening in the future."

The Greenville, South Carolina, man served as a regional vice president for Aramark Collegiate Hospitality. Morales also worked in the food service industry as a university dining coordinator.

Five others were injured in the gunfire and taken to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. The shooter was also transported to the hospital with injuries after law enforcement officers had to open fire to stop him.

For Chabba and his family who survived him, justice is "out of the realm of possibility," Bannister said, but accountability isn't.

"The Chabba family has realized that there's a mourning period that really will never end," he said. "They will never get over missing Tiru."

So far, the family feels "left in the dark," as they have no answers, nothing to help them try to make sense of a senseless death. The team of attorneys is hoping to uncover the shooter's motive, to learn how he got his hands on a gun and determine who might be responsible.

"Everybody has stepped up to the plate so far, and we just want that transparency so we can answer the questions that you all are asking," Sellers said.

When asked whether lawsuits would follow, Sellers said he wanted answers before consideration of any legal action.

"My sincerest hope is that we're able to work together to make these families whole and provide whatever remedies possible without necessarily being antagonistic, without being adversarial."

Local government watchdog reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at  ebarrera@tallahassee.com . Follow her on X:  @elenabarreraaa .

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Attorneys of FSU shooting victim call for transparency, accountability