A trans woman has died after a 33-year-old woman allegedly shot her in Portland in the north-west of the United States.
Police found Gigi Pierce’s body on Monday (21 May) night with a fatal gunshot wound to the stomach.
At the scene of the murder, police arrested Sophia Adler and charged her with murder. Adler allegedly shot Pierce after an altercation between the two women.
‘I heard Gigi say, “Don’t touch me”,’ a woman named Amber who was a friend of Pierce, told KATU.
‘And the woman came up and hit Gigi in the face with her purse.
‘That kinda set Gigi off. Gigi went to hit her, pulled back to hit her, and the next thing I know my ear’s ringing. There had been a gunshot. It all happened so fast. It always does.’
Amber said Pierce had ‘died in my arms’.
Originally from Idaho, police said they did not know how long Pierce had been in Portland and whether she was visiting or living there.
But police did tell media they did not believe Adler allegedly shot Pierce because of her gender identity.
‘Based on information learned at this time does not suggest this is a bias or hate related crime,’ said Sgt. Chris Burley, spokesman for Portland Police.
11 murders too many
Pierce’s death marks the 11th murder of a trans person in the United States this year.
LGBTI advocacy group Human Rights Campaign has tracked trans murders in the United States.
It said 2017 was the worst year on record for violent murders of trans people.
‘While the details of these cases differ, it is clear that fatal violence disproportionately affects transgender women of color, and that the intersections of racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia conspire to deprive them of employment, housing, healthcare and other necessities, barriers that make them vulnerable,’ HRC said on its website.
‘Since 2013, HRC has tracked 117 incidents of fatal violence against transgender and non-binary people. Of these, 66 have been victims of gun violence. In 2017, 16 out of the 28 deaths were the result of gun violence.’
Portland LGBTI organization, Q Center, said it is planning a community response to Pierce’s death.
