Cops investigate death of transgender woman in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA -- Local police are now investigating the death of a transgender woman Monday in North Philadelphia, who they say was assaulted by a group of males and shot, reports CBS Philadelphia.
The victim has been identified at 22-year-old Kiesha Jenkins.
According to the station, police received reports of a shooting around 2:30 a.m. When police arrived, they found Jenkins shot twice in the back.
"The decedent had just gotten out of a vehicle at that location, was assaulted by five or six unidentified males," said Philadelphia Police Captain James Clark.
Police say it is too soon to call this a hate crime, but they are actively investigating that possibility, reports the station.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that 21 transgender or gender nonconforming people have been killed in the United States this year, according to statistics gathered by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, an LGBT advocacy group. Eleven transgender or gender nonconforming people were killed in 2014, according to the group.
"We'll talk to more people, and then we'll get to the bottom of it. When the autopsy results come back, different things, and we'll put everything together and then from that we'll see if it's classified as a hate crime or not," said Capt. Clark.
Detectives are now looking for the five to six people they believe are responsible.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police 215-686-TIPS.