Brianna ‘BB’ Hill, 30, was killed October 14, in Kansas City, Missouri, making her the 20th Black woman to be killed in the United States this year, and the 4th Black trans woman or trans Latina to be killed in Kansas City this year, according to Pink News.
Hill was shot on 43rd Street and Hardesty Avenue on Monday at approximately 11:30 a.m. She was dead when police arrived on the scene.
According to Police Capt. Tim Hernandez, the alleged shooter remained at the scene and authorities are looking for no other suspects.
George Cherry, who lives on Hardesty St., says Hill’s death hits home for him.
“I’m actually part of the LGBTQ community, but I didn’t know that it was a transgender that was murdered but that actually hits more home to me,” Cherry said. “That’s part of my family because we are out here, we are trying to survive and people take action against us, nationwide.”
Human Rights Campaign Spokesperson Elliott Kozuch says that Hill’s death did not occur in a vacuum, but is a part of the larger epidemic of violence against trans people in the United States.
“Hill, like all of us, had hopes, dreams, aspirations and plans for the future,” Kozuch told Newsweek. “She had family and friends who are mourning this senseless loss—a loss that is part of a larger epidemic of violence against the transgender community in this country, spurred by a toxic mix of transphobia, racism, misogyny and unchecked gun violence. There are currently very few explicit legal protections for transgender or gender-expansive people. While the transgender community does have protections in employment, housing and public accommodations in Kansas City, there are no state nondiscrimination protections for this community, and they are not covered under the state’s hate crimes legislation.”
Authorities have not determined a motive or released the alleged killer’s name.
