The Evanston man who was shot and killed Monday night in Kansas had originally arrived in the state to help rebuild in the aftermath of a small tornado, his brother said.
After Sem Adrien, 26, finished the relief project, which was organized through a youth outreach program in Evanston, he met someone who tipped him off about a temporary job for the Kansas State Fair, said Duckens Adrien, his 24-year-old brother. At that point, Sem Adrien had been calling family members every day, keeping them informed as he worked at the fairgrounds in Hutchinson, Kan., helping set up the grandstand stage.
On Monday night – a day after Sem Adrien last talked to his brother — he was shot to death in Hutchinson. A 35-year-old man from the city was arrested two days later and has been charged with killing him.
Although Evanston police were familiar with Sem Adrien before his death in Hutchinson, Cmdr. Jay Parrott said Friday they have found nothing that ties the incident to his hometown. Hutchinson police are still investigating the fatal shooting.
On Friday afternoon, Duckens Adrien and family friend Dieula Paul remembered Sem Adrien as outgoing and ambitious, a lifetime soccer player who easily made friends. He tried out for Major League Soccer last year and had long-term plans to work with “peer-pressured children,” his brother said.
“The power of potential — that describes him to a T,” Duckens Adrien said.
Sem Adrien, a 2005 graduate of Evanston Township High School, was taking community college classes before he left for Kansas, his brother said. He had hoped to stay in Kansas for another job, but that plan fell through before his death.
Otherwise, Sem Adrien never mentioned any problems during his daily calls home this summer, his brother said. Ducken Adrien added he felt “everything was going smoothly” for his brother.
Paul also believed Sem Adrien was on the right track. Even when he got into trouble as a child, he would always admit he was wrong and apologize as soon as possible, she said.
“He had a good heart,” Paul said. “In general, he was a good person.”
A funeral service for Sem Adrien will be held 11 a.m. Friday at Church First Haitian Baptist, 1309 Elmwood Ave.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PatrickSvitek
