One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Transgender Woman Fatally Shot While Pounding On Door For Help
Deshawnda Sanchez (Facebook)
Police are looking for more clues in the case of a transgender woman shot at the front door of a South Los Angeles home while trying to escape her killer.Deshawnda Sanchez, 21, was killed on 4 a.m. Wednesday on the front porch near South Wilton Place and West 62nd Street, according to KTLA. Surveillance video from a neighbor's security camera shows a car pulling up to the house and then someone running up to the porch. Then the figure runs back to the car and drives away. The resident of the home came outside after hearing the gunfire, but it was too late. Sanchez died at the scene.
Police believe that Sanchez was running away from a robber, who stole something and then shot her. They didn't know what may have been taken from her. They said it's too soon to say whether the killing may also constitute a hate crime. LAPD Detective Christopher Barling told KTLA, "Deshawnda is a transgender female. At this point we cannot say it’s a hate crime but we have not ruled out that as being a possibility."
Her twin Deshanda Bradley told KTLA, "Honestly, I believe it's a hate crime. Honestly, I think it's because they found out he was a dude and they killed him."
Sanchez wasn't from the area (her Facebook page says she was from Compton but living in Las Vegas). Another sibling told KTLA that she wants to know why Sanchez was in the area and who she knew there.
This is the third transgender woman killed in a robbery this year. In October, Aniya Parker, 47, was killed in an East Hollywood robbery. Zoraida Reyes, 28, was killed in the parking lot of a Dairy Queen in Anaheim in June.
Christopher Argyros, who manages the anti-violence project at the Los Angeles LGBT Center said that transgender people of color face much higher levels of violence than the rest of the population. He told the Los Angeles Times their identity can be a target of violence or can escalate a situation: "It really demonstrates that transgender women’s lives aren’t valued in our communities. That obviously needs to change."
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
