A transgender woman shot early Friday morning in the 3600 block of Fairview Avenue has died, Baltimore Police said.
Police said the shooting happened around 3:18 a.m. The woman, identified as 32-year-old Crystal Edmonds, was suffering from a gunshot wound to the back of her head. She was taken to an area hospital where she was later pronounced dead, according to police.
Homicide detectives are investigating because of the nature of her injuries.
We are looking for information related to the shooting of a transgender female. Please share- pic.twitter.com/BJ47D98KgD
— Baltimore Police (@BaltimorePolice) September 16, 2016
"A person that can shoot a woman in the back of her head and leave her for dead on the street can do it again. We are asking the public and this community to help us out," said Baltimore Police Spokesperson Chief T.J. Smith.
Sandra Johnson, who herself has a transgender daughter, said she heard the shots last night, learned the news and called her daughter.
"She knows this person too because they are all basically in the same circle connected and they know one another. When I called her to tell her about this, she told me it was all over Facebook already. So, ya know most of them know one another, but it's sad," Johnson said.
Johnson and other neighbors say prostitution and drugs are rampant on those blocks in the early morning hours. It is a dangerous mix or, they say, maybe crossed signals, that may have ended in murder.
"If you're up front, you maybe stand a better chance. I don't know. But it could have been him finding out and not knowing and went there so, it is hard to say," Johnson said.
The department's LGBT liaison is reaching out to the community, first to explain the shooting of a transgender woman and to inform them of her murder.
"Just generally getting the word out to let people, make people aware of what is going on in the community," Sgt. Kevin Bailey said.
