WASHINGTON, D.C. – A transgender woman has been shot and killed in Washington, D.C. during the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 20. Two black males are thought to be the suspects according to The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The victim has been identified as 23-year-old Lashai Mclean. The homicide took place on the 6100 block of Dix Street, in the same neighborhood as the Wanda Alston House, the home for LGBT youth that is a project of Transgender Health Empowerment (THE).
Metro Weekly reported that according to an MPD press release, members of the Sixth District station responded to a shooting at 4:26 a.m.
Police do not yet know if the killing was motivated by transphobia.
Mayor Vincent Gray said, “Every homicide in the District of Columbia is a tragedy for which the perpetrators must be brought to swift justice. However, if the investigation concludes that this shooting was the result of bias based on sexual orientation or gender identity, MPD and my administration will work with this community to see that there is an appropriate response to this kind of violence, which cannot be tolerated.”
