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  • Nic F. Anderson

26 Trans People Died By Violence In America In 2019


Transgender Day of Remembrance is Nov. 20.

Just in the last four years, 132 trans people died due to violence in the United States. In the last 11 months, there has been 24 deaths of trans people due to violence; 21 of those deaths were trans people of color. These are just the known deaths.

Many governmental agencies used the victim’s dead names which can skew the total number of known deaths due to violence.

Between 2017 and 2018, approximately 74 percent of known trans people to have died due to violence between were misgendered and have their dead names used in media and police reports, according to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). There were

HRC said, “These victims were killed by acquaintances, partners and strangers, some of whom have been arrested and charged, while others have yet to be identified. Some of these cases involve clear anti-transgender bias. In others, the victim’s transgender status may have put them at risk in other ways, such as forcing them into homelessness.”

The known trans deaths due to violence in 2019 are:

(1) Dana Martin, a 31-year-old trans woman of color, was found shot to death in her vehicle in a roadside ditch on Jan. 6 in Montgomery, Alabama. Open case.

 

(2) Ellie Marie Washtock, a 38-year-old bi-gender person, was found dead by their teenage son on Jan. 31 at their World Golf Village condominium in St. Augustine, Florida. Putnam County Sheriff's Office ruled their death a homicide. Open case.

 

(3) Jazzaline Ware, a trans woman of color, was found dead in her apartment on March 25 in Memphis, Tennessee. Initially thought to be a suicide, police currently regard the case as homicide for reasons not made public. Open case.

 

(4) Ashanti Carmon, a 27-year-old trans woman of color, was shot and killed on March 30 in Prince George's County, Maryland. Open case.

 

(5) Claire Legato, a 21-year-old trans woman of color, was shot in the head on April 15 following an argument between her mother and the suspect in Cleveland, Ohio. She was taken to a local hospital where she died from her injuries on May 14. Suspect was charged.

 

(6) Muhlaysia Booker, a 23-year-old trans woman of color, was found shot and killed on May 18 in Dallas, Texas. The shooting was after a viral video showed Booker being publicly beaten and called slurs on April 12. Police have no current ties to connect the previous assailant to her later murder. Dallas Police charged a suspect with three counts of murder, including the murder of Muhlaysia Booker.

 

(7) Michelle "Tamika" Washington, a 40-year-old trans woman of color and longtime transgender rights advocate, was fatally shot in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with three others in an anti-LGBTQ+ shooting in a Detroit home on May 19. A suspect in her murder has been arrested.

 

(8) Paris Cameron, a 20-year-old trans woman, was shot in Detroit, Michigan, on May 25 along with two cisgender individuals. Police have arrested a suspect in relation to the murder.

 

(9) Chynal Lindsey, a 26-year-old trans woman of color, was found dead in Dallas, Texas on June 1. She was the second trans murder in Dallas this year. Muhlaysia Booker was two weeks previous. Dallas was celebrating their annual Pride festival on the same weekend. Lindsey's body was found a mile away from where Booker's body was found. The Dallas Police have asked the FBI to assist with the investigation. Dallas police arrested a suspect who has been charged with the murder of Chynal Lindsey.

 

(10) Johana Medina Leon, a 25-year-old trans woman of color from El Salvador seeking asylum in the United States, died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in El Paso, Texas, on June 1 from a HIV related illness. According to family and advocates, during her incarceration at the facility, she was denied medication and treatment that resulted in her death at the Del Sol Medical Center.

 

(11) Chanel Scurlock, a 23-year-old trans woman of color, was found shot and killed just after midnight in Lumberton, North Carolina on June 5 by Robeson County sheriff's deputies. Her family indicated she had planned to meet up with the owner of a Facebook page with media content of her. Police arrested a suspect on charges of first-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon in the killing of Chanel Scurlock.

 

(12) Zoe Spears, a 23-year-old trans woman of color, was shot and killed in Fairmount Heights, Maryland, a suburb of Washington D.C on June 13. The murder took place a few blocks from where Ashanti Carmon was murdered. It is said that Carmon and Spears knew each other and were part of a tight-knit group of sex workers whom work in the area. Police arrested a suspect who was indicted on murder charges (first degree) for the killing of Zoe Spears.

 

(13) Brooklyn Lindsey, a 32-year-old trans woman of color, was found shot and killed in front of an abandoned building in Kansas City, Missouri on June 25. Kris Wade of the local Justice Project reported that Lindsey had been hospitalized after a brutal beating just weeks before her death. CNN reported Lindsey's death took place near where Tamara Dominguez, another trans woman, was murdered. A suspected felon, was arrested and indicted on Lindsey's murder.

 

(14) Denali Berries Stuckey, a 29-year-old trans woman of color, was shot and killed in North Charleston, South Carolina, on July 20. Early reports misgendered Stuckey. She is the third transgender homicide in South Carolina since 2018. Open case.

 

(15) Tracy Single (née Williams), a 22-year-old trans woman of color, was found dead in west Houston, Texas. on July 30. Single's body was discovered in a convenience store parking lot at 11000 Katy Freeway around 2:30 a.m and moved to a morgue where she laid unidentified for 10 days. The victim's homelessness delayed the identification process. Her identity was revealed by an August 11 town hall meeting organized by activist Dee Dee Watters. Single was the third transgender death of 2019 in Texas. Single's boyfriend was charged with her murder in late August. It is said that Single's friends say she tried to break off the relationship just prior to her murder.

 

(16) Bubba Walker, a 55-year-old black trans woman was reported missing and later found dead, burned beyond recognition, in Charlotte, North Carolina in late July.

 

(17) Kiki Fantroy, a 21-year-old trans woman of color, was shot and killed in southwest Miami-Dade County, Florida, on July 31 near an abandoned house in an anti-LGBTQ+ shooting. Miami Police claim the murder resulted from an argument and not a transgender hate crime. Fantroy was reportedly heading home from a party with a group when a teenage male, approximately 17-year-old, approached her and asked her for sex. When Fantroy declined, it is reported the tee opened fire and shot another member of the group and Fantroy. August 5, the suspect was arrested in connection with an unrelated case, and admitted to the murder in police custody. He has been charged with murder (second degree) and attempted murder.

 

(18) Pebbles LaDime Doe, a 24-year-old, a trans woman of color, was found shot and killed in Allendale County, South Carolina, on August 4. Doe was discovered by a passerby slumped over her car steering wheel. She is the fourth transgender murder in South Carolina since 2018.

 

(19) Jordan Cofer, a 22-year-old trans man, was shot and killed on August 4. He was a victim of the 2019 Dayton shooting. Cofer, one of the first victims, was the sibling of the shooter, ruling his death fratricide. Many early reports misgendered and dead named him. It is unclear whether their sibling targeted them or not.

 

(20) Bailey Reeves, a 17-year-old trans woman of color, was shot and killed Monday, September 2 in Baltimore, Maryland. Reeves was discovered immediately after the shooting and was taken to a hospital where she later succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds to the torso. Police have released no leads or suspects in the shooting at this time.

 

(21) Bee Love Slater, a 23-year-old trans woman of color, was found burned beyond recognition inside her car Sept. 4 in Clewiston, Florida. Those close to the victim have stated they suspect her murder was likely due to her being trans. Open case.

 

(22) Elisha Chanel Stanley, a 46-year-old trans woman of color, was found murdered on Sept. 16 in a hotel room in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Officials have not released anymore details but Pittsburgh Police state they were investigating. Local activists and friends of the victim alleged investigation by officials and coverage of media was sparse due to the victim's transgender status. Open case.

 

(23) Jamagio Jamar Berryman, a black gender non-conforming person, was killed in Kansas City, Kansas on Sept. 13. Their age is unknown.

 

(24) Itali Marlowe, a 29-year-old trans woman of color, was killed following a shooting in southwest Houston, Texas, on Sept. 20. As reported by Houston Police, officers responded to a reported shooting and found Marlowe found lying on the driveway having been shot multiple times. She was transported to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead. The suspect in the shooting has been indicted for Marlowe's murder, but remains at large and is currently wanted by police.

 

(25) Brianna "BB" Hill (aka Breonna Be'Be), a 30-year-old a trans woman of color, was shot and killed on Oct. 14 in eastern Kansas City, Missouri. The suspected gunman remained at the scene of the crime and was taken into police custody. His name or motive have not been released.

 

(26) Layleen Polanco was a 27-year-old trans woman who was found dead in a cell at Riker's Island in New York on June 7. Polanco was described by people who knew her as a “generous human being.”

HRC has called these deaths an epidemic. These victims and victims from previous years are remembered everyday by loved ones and nationally every November by the LGBTQ+ communities.

#DanaMartin #EllieMarieWashtock #JazzalineWare #AshantiCarmon #ClaireLegato #MuhlaysiaBooker #MichelleTamikaWashington #ParisCameron #ChynalLindsey #JohanaMedinaLeon #ChanelScurlock #ZoeSpears #BrooklynLindsey #DenaliBerriesStuckey #TracySingle #BubbaWalker #KikiFantroy #PebblesLaDimeDoe #JordanCofer #BaileyReeves #BeeLoveSlater #ElishaChanelStanley #JamagioJamarBerryman #ItaliMarlowe #BriannaBBHill #BreonnaBeBe #LayleenPolanco #transdeaths2019 #transgender #TransgenderAwarenessWeek #TransgenderDayofRemembrance

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