Detectives are left trying to figure out who did it and why after a transgendered woman is killed on the city's northwest side in an early morning shooting.
The national gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy group GLAAD said the number of transgendered women killed in the country has tied an all time high with three more months left in the year.
"It definitely puts fear in them," said Key'Ayshia Tucker, a transgender advocacy worker at Baltimore group GLCCB, or the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center.
After a transgender woman was shot in the head early Friday morning in northwest Baltimore, Tucker said the crime highlights a familiar feeling among those in the community.
"A lot of transgender woman are looked at, not as people, but as an object that has no value," she said.
Police found 32-year-old Crystal Edmonds, a transgendered female, in the 3600 block of Fairview Ave. with a gunshot wound to the back of the head. She later died at a hospital.
Police walked the neighborhood asking for tips while saying they're not sure if Edwards was targeted specifically for being transgendered.
"Happens too frequently in the city of Baltimore. ... Being the specialist for transgender women, I get these incidents that come across my desk a lot," Tucker said.
GLAAD counts Edmond's death as the 21st in the country this year, which is the same number all of last year, their deadliest on record.
Tucker called for more advocacy, and an increased number of safe places for transgender individuals to meet.
"Right now, the GLCCB is the heart of Maryland. It's the only source of resources they have for the transgender community," Tucker said.
Metro Crimestoppers is offering a $2,000 cash reward for information in this case.
You can contact them at 1-866-7Lockup.
