Baltimore police investigating shooting death of transgender woman

Baltimore police are investigating after Alphonza Watson, a 38-year-old transgender woman, was shot dead on Wednesday.

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

Baltimore police are investigating after Alphonza Watson, a 38-year-old transgender woman, was shot dead on Wednesday.

“At this time, we don’t have a lot to go on,” police spokesman T.J. Smith said. “What we know is that there was apparently some sort of argument that took place.”‘

According to police, witnesses said that they heard someone yelling for help and then heard two gunshots before they saw two men run to a vehicle and flee in it.

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Smith said that police did not yet have a motive in the shooting and did not know for sure if the shooting had been motivated by the fact that Watson was transgender, though he did note that “that’s a vulnerable community that has had some issues in the past.”

According to Watson’s mother, Peggy Walker, Watson came out in her teens and went by the name “Peaches.”

“She was a very caring, passionate, fun person to be around, always in a talkative and playful mood,” Walker said. “Very close to the lord. She didn’t belong to a church or anything like that but she always talked about the lord.”

In the meantime, according to Sgt. Kevin Bailey, the LGBT liaison for the department, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland as well as the nonprofit Hearts & Ears are offering their services to members of the community who might be grieving in the wake of this incident.

 

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