In a series of criminal events spanning the D.C. area, police are now investigating the weekend murder of a possible transgender woman, a classified hate crime, according to police records. The Metropolitan Police Department held an official news conference Monday to discuss the crime, where community activists took foothold in working with the MPD.
The individual’s identity currently remains unknown, according to police reports, but officials have released photos of the deceased in an effort to identify the man described as a Hispanic or Middle Eastern male, between the ages of 25 and 30.
In tandem with the crime announced Monday, a D.C. transgender woman suffered a non-fatal gunshot wound, making this the fourth hate crime of this kind against transgender people in the area.
”Unfortunately, members of the transgender community are victims of crimes, probably on an all-too-frequent basis here in the city,” said Assistant Police Chief Peter Newsham of the Metropolitan Police Department. ”We give every single crime in the District of Columbia the same attention, and we’re very serious about closing all cases.”
Transgender activists Earline Budd and Ruby Corado, participants at the news conference, explained that withstanding the latest shooting, crimes against transgender women in the D.C. area have exceeded more than a dozen incidents.
“The transgender community is now in crisis,” Corado said.
Police will have to wait several weeks until toxicology tests reveal whether or not the weekend death of the unidentified transgender woman occurred due to natural causes or homicide.
