Kiér Laprí Kartier, A Black Trans Woman, Shot Dead In Texas

Kiér Laprí Kartier, a 21-year-old Black transgender woman, was found shot dead in Arlington, Texas, on September 30. She is at least the 38th trans/gender non-conforming person to die of a violent death in the U.S. in 2021. https://twitter.com/HRC/status/1445765922778533893 I use the phrase “at least” because many of these deaths go unreported or misreported. Police were called when a citizen noticed an unresponsive person in a parked car with its passenger door open and the engine running. Kartier was taken to Arlington Memorial Hospital where she later died. According to them, her best friend DayVion Haggerty told local news that “everybody just loved who she was”, including her family. “With Kartier’s death, we’ve already recorded more incidents of fatal violence this year than at this time last year,” said Tori Cooper, director of community engagement at HRC’s Transgender Justice Initiative. “These attacks on our community must stop, and we need to direct resources toward supporting and protecting transgender and non-binary people.” In 2020, 44 trans and gender non-conforming people were violently killed in the US – more than in any other year since HRC began tracking such deaths in 2013. Arlington Police Department detectives are currently seeking surveillance video and witnesses. Anyone with information about Kartier’s death is asked to call Detective Spencer at 817-459-6466 and reference report 2021-02730723. For anonymous tips, call Crime Stoppers of Tarrant County at 817-469-TIPS (8477). https://twitter.com/them/status/1445139224827764751