Philadelphia police on Monday announced
that they have made an arrest in connection with the murder of Kiesha
Jenkins.
Jenkins, 22, was murdered early Tuesday
by a group of men, making her the 20th transgender woman
to be killed in the United States this year, and the 18th
transgender woman of color. Police believe Jenkins, who was shot
twice in the back, was a victim of a robbery gone wrong.
Police said Pedro Redding, 22, of
Hunting Park confessed to participating in beating Jenkins but claims
that someone else pulled the trigger, according to WPVI-TV.
“The suspect gave a full statement to
detectives that himself and three of his friends attempted to rob
Kiesha and, during this robbery, one of the males pulled out a gun,
shooting and killing her,” Philadelphia Police Captain James Clark
told reporters.
Police have said that there is no
evidence to suggest that Jenkins' murder was motivated by hate.
“Our information is Pedro Redding and
his associates live in the area and they know what goes on in that
area. There are a lot of transgender individuals that frequent that
area, so yes, they did know,” Clark said, explaining that Jenkins
was a prostitute known to be a high earner.