According to reports from local Los Angeles media, a transgender woman was fatally shot in the head in East Hollywood on Thursday morning while walking down the street during what police believe might have been an attempted robbery. According to witnesses and surveillance footage, two or three men approached the victim when a struggle ensued and one of the men shot her.
The woman was rushed to the hospital when police found her and underwent surgery, but was pronounced dead shortly after. An investigation currently underway has not yet ruled out the possibility that the victim was targeted because of her gender identity.
The most recent report on LGBTQ and HIV-affected hate violence from the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) found that, in 2013, 72 percent of homicide victims were transgender women, and 67 percent were transgender women of color. NCAVP also noted that reports of hate violence against transgender people increased 13 percent in 2013.
GLAAD urges media reporting on this story to refer to our resource guide, "Doubly Victimized: Reporting on Transgender Victims of Crime," to ensure that coverage remains fair, accurate and respectful. If you see defamatory coverage of this story, please report it to GLAAD.