Crime

Suspect charged for shooting trans woman, after she tried to wrestle gun off attacker

Jul 28 2018
Written by Ella Braidwood

The victim tries to wrestle the gun from the shooter’s hands (MLive/youtube)

A suspect has been charged over the shooting of a transgender woman in Detroit, USA, who was caught on CCTV bravely trying to take the gun off him.

Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office charged 29-year old Deonton Rogers over the incident at a petrol station in the west side of the city, reports Detroit News.

Rogers has been charged with a number of crimes including firearm discharge causing a serious injury, felon in possession of a fire arm, and ethnic intimidation based upon gender.

“Great work by our team, particularly our 12th precinct special operations… who relentlessly follow up on tips we were getting from the community,” Detroit Police Chief James Craig reportedly said. “That suspect has been taken into custody without incident.”

According to Detroit News, the prosecutor’s office said Rogers allegedly went up to the victim in the petrol station and made a lewd comment to her.

Rogers then started rowing with the 29-year old victim about her sexuality, before pulling out a gun.

The pair then wrestled over the gun, which was caught on CCTV inside the petrol station, before Rogers shot the woman, said the prosecutor’s office.

CCTTV footage shows the pair entering the store while struggling over the gun, with the trans woman appearing to have the upper hand.

The trans woman avoided becoming the 17th trans person to be killed this year in the US (MLive/youtube)

While another customer fled the area, the woman continued desperately fighting for her life.

Police said that the woman is expected to make a full recovery.

“As the victim attempt to take the weapon from the suspect, the victim was shot,” police said in a statement.

“After the shooting, the suspect fled the location.”

Police haven’t yet confirmed whether it will be treated as a hate crime (MLive/youtube)

A total of 16 trans people have been killed so far this year in the US, most of whom were women of colour.

Diamond Stephens, 39, was shot dead while driving home in Meridian, Mississippi, but despite being found in her car on June 18, was not identified as trans for more than a month because she was misgendered by local media and authorities.

Stephens was misgendered by local media and police (Diamond Stephens/facebook)

Keisha Wells, 58, was fatally shot in Cleveland. Her body was found in the car park of an apartment building with a gunshot wound to the abdomen on June 24.

Josie Berrios, 28, from Ithaca, New York, was found dead in an apartment block on June 12.

The body of Antash’a English, 38, was found on June 1 between two derelict homes in Jacksonville, Florida, with gunshot wounds.

Gigi Pierce, 28, died in Portland, Oregon on May 21 after being shot dead in public following an altercation.

Nino Fortson, 36, died after being shot multiple times following an argument in Atlanta, Georgia during the early hours of May 13.

(Nino Starr/Facebook)

Carla Patricia Flores-Pavon, 18, was choked to death in Dallas, Texas, earlier this month.

(Carla Patricia Flores-Pavon/Facebook)

Sasha Wall, 29, was shot dead in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, in April, dying after suffering multiple gunshots in her car.

(Facebook/sasha wall)

Amia Tyrae Berryman, a 28-year-old from Los Angeles, was the seventh trans person to be killed this year.

Amia Tyrae Berryman

She was found shot to death in a motel room in March.

In February, the body of Zakaria Fry, 28, was found on a road just outside of Santa Fe, Albuquerque.

(Photo by Zakaria Fry/Facebook)

Phylicia Mitchell was shot dead in Cleveland, Ohio. The 45-year-old was found in her living room on February 23 with bullet wounds in her chest.

(Photo by Phylicia Mitchell/Facebook)

Celine Walker, 36, was found shot to death in a motel room in Jacksonville, Florida in February.

(Photo by Naomi Michaels/Facebook)

Also in February, Tonya Harvey, 35, was shot dead on Shepard Street in Buffalo, New York.

(Facebook/tonya harvey)

Harvey’s murder followed the killings of Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien, who founded the Miss Trans America pageant, and Viccky Gutierrez, who was burned to death in Los Angeles.