A 20-year-old trans woman was shot dead in the head near a school during an alleged drug deal in Brazil
A trans woman was shot in the head, killing her instantly, in Brazil. (Facebook)
A 20-year-old trans woman was shot in the head in a fatal injury by a school in Brazil during an alleged drug deal.
Pedrita dos Santos Silva was shot in uptown São Miguel dos Campos, Alagoas, earlier this week.
According to family, she participated in recreational drug use and was allegedly on her way to exchange a stolen mobile phone for drugs.
What happened?
Located in the eastern half of the Brazilian state of Alagoas, São Miguel dos Compos is a quiet town speckled with small churches and strip malls.
But in the early hours of November 18, Silva was waking down a pavement by the Hélio Jatoba Two block when she was struck in the head by a single gunshot, local media reported.
The wound killed her instantly.
A trans woman was instantly killed allegedly on her way to trade a pinched mobile phone for drugs. (PinkNews)
Wittinesses claimed that the alleged assailant then fled the scene on a motorcycle. But neither the license plate or model of the vehicle was recorded.
Local law enforcement are opening up the case to the public and are looking for leads.
However, officers have reportedly ruled out homophobia and transphobia as motivations for the killing.
Moreover, Silva’s body will be next sent to the Edvaldo Castro Alves Legal Medical Institute in Arapiraca for analysis.
LGBT+ rights in Brazil.
Despite the criminalisation of homophobia and transphobia, Brazil is the deadliest country in the world for trans people.
Revellers participate in the 2019 Sao Paulo Gay Pride parade. (Cris Faga/NurPhoto via Getty)
According to Transrespect Versus Transphobia Worldwide, Brazil has been the site of around 130 reported killings of trans and gender-diverse people between October 2018 and September 2019.
Out of all recorded killings across the globe, the sprawling country has witnessed the most killings. But these figures understate the problems, as misgendering by family and officials are common.
President Jair Bolsonaro has previously called himself a “proud homophobe” and has said he would rather have dead son than a gay one.
Trans folk, one of the most marginalised and vulnerable communities in Brazil, have been haunted by a spectre of violence in recent years. Activists have warned that Bolsonaro has done little to tackle this.
In fact, some LGBT+ groups have warned, he has done more to fan flames of hatred in the country.
