A pregnant transgender man was fatally shot by his fiancé on July 21 in a murder-suicide case out of Winter Haven, Florida.
Riley John Groover, 26, shot Camdyn Rider several times near the home they shared together, and witnesses watched the incident happen, according to WTSP 10, a local news outlet based in Tampa.
According to friends and family, the couple argued frequently, with some arguments leading to physical violence that was not brought to the police.
Groover had a history of aggravated assault and domestic violence, according to lawandcrime.com, citing court documents. In 2014, he was convicted of battery on a law enforcement officer after being caught shooting a BB gun at the window of a person he was harassing. In both 2016 and 2018, police allegedly responded to Groover attacking family members with knives and other weapons. However, he was not charged and the victim signed a waiver stating that she wanted Groover to take his medications and receive treatment for autism.
“This was a violent and horrific double murder that ended the lives of an 21-year-old [person] who was 8 months pregnant, and [his] unborn baby,” Sheriff Grady Judd of the Polk County Sheriff’s Department said in a written statement, according to WTSP 10. “When the suspect became enraged, family members and neighbors did everything they could to help [him] get away from him. Please keep this family in your prayers.”
The gun was taken from Groover’s mother, who said that she kept a gun for safety and protection reasons.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, Rider is the 15th trans person to die by violence in 2023. However, there could be more victims who have been deadnamed or misgendered. In the statement from the police, Rider was also misgendered.
