Black trans woman, 26, dies after being shot multiple times in Chicago

A Black transgender woman has been shot dead in Chicago.

26-year-old Redd, also known by friends as Barbie, was shot numerous times on Sunday (8 September), according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Her family is asking for killing to be investigated as a hate crime.

A gunman opened fire on her and a group of friends at around 1.30am. She was pronounced dead on the scene, and another person was critically wounded, policed said.

A friend said they were gathered on a street corner when a man they did not recognise walked past. He returned 30 minutes later with a gun.

“I feel it was a hate crime,” her cousin Mariyah Phillips told the Sun-Times. “I want to start awareness [that] people are attacking that community. I want people to know that they are being attacked.”

Phillips said she and Redd were “really close”, adding that she had held a memorial balloon release in memory of her cousin. “[She] was always the person that, no matter what challenges [she] faced, always made it out on top.”

Her friend Trevon Pope added: “She wanted to be loved and respected… that’s how she was. That’s one thing she didn’t play about. She loved and respected people.”

According to the Human Rights Campaign, Redd is the 26th known transgender or gender-non-conforming person to die in violent circumstances in the US so far this year. The real number is likely to be higher because many murders of trans people go unreported, or the victim is misgendered in reports.

Anyone who has witnessed or experienced a hate crime is urged to call the police on 101, Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit the True Vision website. In an emergency, always dial 999.