April 27, 2017
Miami Transwoman Gunned Down On Street Corner
John McDonald READ TIME: 2 MIN.
A transgender woman was shot and killed Friday night in Miami and her killer remains on the loose.
Detectives are combing Miami's West Little River neighborhood for clues as to who perpetrated the murder of 28-year-old Chayviss "Chay" Darice Reed. WPLG Local 10 News reports Reed was gunned down near the intersection of Northwest 27th Avenue and Northwest 93rd Street.
"The Homicide Bureau has advised that at this time there is no evidence to indicate that this was a hate crime," said Det. Jennifer Capote of the Miami-Dade Police Department. "The investigation is still open and they are still searching for witnesses who may have witnessed the incident."
Reed's death, the Human Rights Campaign reports, marks the ninth transgender woman murdered in the U.S. this year.
The hashtag #SayHerName is circulating on social media with a march planned on Opa-Locka Blvd April 28 organized by Florida International University's Students for a Democratic Society.
WPLG reports Reed grew up in Carol City and Opa-locka and graduated from American Senior High School in Hialeah. Friends describe Reed as a free spirit who liked to dance and went by the nickname "Juicy."
In a Facebook posting, Students for a Democratic Society is demanding justice for what the group says is another hate crime against trans women of color.
"We are calling for an independent civilian review board of her murder and for all hate crimes, as police departments have failed to act on the interests of our community. For the state of Florida to finally recognize Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in the state civil rights code. To protect sex workers from violence and state repression by decriminalizing the field and allowing for unionization of sex workers, in addition to plans for a night patrol to protect Trans women and sex workers. We will push these changes all the way from city council to the state level," declares SDS.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-8477.
