Black trans individuals killed in Milwaukee, DC, and Chicago

Three Black transgender women — all in their 30s — were killed just weeks apart in October, and in two other cases, a Black trans woman was found dead in a park and a Black gender non-conforming individual was killed in Chicago.

On Oct. 2, Skylar Harrison Reeves, a 30-year-old trans woman, was found dead and partially unclothed on a park bench at Marvin Gaye Park in Washington, DC, according to the Washington Blade, which reported that Reeves’ cause of death remains unknown. However, Rhonda Hailes, Reeves’ niece, suspects it could be a hate crime, the Blade reported.

Six days later, on Oct. 8, dance choreographer Chyna Long, 30, was fatally shot at 89th and Dogwood St. in Milwaukee shortly before 8 a.m. Antonio Currin, 29, was hit with reckless homicide and firearm possession charges in connection with Chyna’s death, according to Fox6 Milwaukee.

Long’s family and friends held a vigil on Oct. 12, which was prior to Currin’s arrest.

“They left my baby there like trash,” April Gipson, Chyna’s aunt, said during the vigil, according to ABC12WISN.

Long’s father, Jonathon Long, said, “As a father, I wish I would have asked more questions. I should have been close.”

Less than a week after Long’s death, 25-year-old Dominic Dupree, also known as Dominic Palace, was fatally shot in Chicago on Dec. 13. Dupree, who was gender non-conforming, was struck by gunfire inside a vehicle at around 10:46 p.m. at the 7800 block of South Jeffery Boulevard, according to Fox32 Chicago. Dupree operated a company called Private Protection Divison LLC and Hondo IV Lawncare and Snow Removal LLC.

Back in Washington, DC, A’Nee Roberson, a 30-year-old Black trans woman, was found dead after she was assaulted and subsequently struck by a vehicle around 4:20 a.m. on Oct. 14 at the 900 Block of U St., according to police. The vehicle was not tied to the assault, according to authorities. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that the cause of death was “multiple blunt force injuries and the manner of death a homicide.”

Law enforcement officials are offering $25,000 for anyone who provides information leading to an arrest in the case.

In yet another case, a Black trans woman known as Lisa Love was fatally shot in the chest and back at around 4:30 a.m. on Oct. 17 at 79th St. and Cottage Grove Ave. in Chicago. Reports indicate Love was walking home from a friend’s house. Love’s family told WGN9 Chicago that they believe Love was targeted for identifying as transgender.

Dozen of transgender or gender non-conforming individuals have been killed in the United States so far this year, which continues a years-long trend of violence against trans people of color in America. A record 50 transgender or gender non-conforming people were killed in 2021, followed by at least 40 such murders last year, according to the Human Rights Campaign, which has tracked the deaths of trans and gender non-conforming individuals for a decade.