A Georgia woman's murder on Monday
marks the 16th killing of a transgender person in the
United States this year.
According to The
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Troy Dangerfield, known as “Tee
Tee,” was shot at 4:20 a.m. while sitting in her car. She was
taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where she died from multiple
gunshot wounds.
Major Lance Patterson of the College
Park police department told The AJC that the investigation was
ongoing and that he did not believe Dangerfield, 32, was the victim
of a hate crime.
“At this time we have no information
that points to the shooting being the result of our victim being
transgender,” Patterson said.
According to the Human Rights Campaign
(HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate, there have been 16
transgender people killed in the United States this year. HRC
recorded 22 transgender people killed in 2016.
“So far, almost every victim has been
a woman of color – and nearly all have been Black women,” HRC
wrote in a blog post. “HRC extends its sincere condolences to
Dangerfield's family and friends.”
One of the more recent deaths was a
17-year-old Athens, Georgia woman who was shot and killed during an
altercation in an apartment parking lot. Ava Le'Ray Barrin died
after being taken to a hospital on June 25.