A Black transgender woman was shot to death in Augusta, Georgia, on October 3, continuing an alarming epidemic of violence targeting transgender and non-binary individuals nationwide.
Felycya Harris was just 33 years old when she was gunned down shortly after 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at Augusta’s Meadowbrook Park, making her the 31st known transgender or non-binary individual to suffer a violent death this year. That ties a record, set in 2017, for the most trans people murdered in the nation in a year, according to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), and it came with almost three months remaining in 2020.
Authorities have not reported any arrests in connection to the murder, though a spokesperson for the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the case has been ruled a homicide. A different police spokesperson also responded to Gay City News by deadnaming the victim and providing an incident report that misgendered her.
Citing an active criminal investigation, police declined to elaborate on any further details in the case.
Alphonso David, the president of HRC, denounced the latest murder and described it as a “grim milestone.”
“This epidemic of violence, which is particularly impacting transgender women of color, must and can be stopped,” David said. “We must work to address the factors that underpin this culture of violence and openly discuss how the intersection of racism, sexism, homophobia, biphobia. and transphobia work to deprive transgender and gender non-conforming people of equal access to opportunity and necessities like employment, housing, and health care.”
Harris worked as an interior designer and operated her own business, according to HRC.
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