An individual who the NYPD said was fatally stabbed at a Bronx apartment building during the early morning hours of July 26 was a Black transgender woman, according to Princess Janae Place, an organization that supports homeless LGBTQ adults in the tri-state area.
Police officers found the 32-year-old victim, identified by Princess Janae Place as Tiffany Harris, unconscious with stab wounds inside the third floor hallway at 2575 Jerome Avenue shortly after 1:30 a.m Sunday morning in the Fordham Manor section of the Bronx. She was subsequently transferred to Saint Barnabas hospital, where she was pronounced dead after 2 a.m.
While Princess Janae Place identified the individual, the name has not been confirmed by other sources. Police initially provided a name that may have been the individual’s birth name on government-issued identification. Furthermore, police were inconsistent in their reporting of the victim’s gender identity. Though the NYPD initially reported they had discovered an “unconscious and unidentified female,” they later identified that same person as a male.
Victim, man sought for questioning reportedly in a relationship; early Sunday morning confrontation led to stabbing
Asked to explain that discrepancy, a police spokesperson said only, “That’s what we’re going to go with now until we finish our investigation.”
After the individual appeared to be deadnamed, Princess Janae Place tweeted Harris’ name and added “#SayHerName #BlackTransLivesMatter.”
[Editor’s note: On August 2, the NYPD released this video of the man wanted for questioning, and then on August 7 released a second video.]
Police are seeking a man for questioning in the case. He is described as a Black male who was last seen donning a white T-shirt and dark pants.
Police sources told PIX 11 that the man wanted for questioning was in a relationship with Harris. According to the New York Daily News, the fatal stabbing occurred following a confrontation.
Harris resided at 55 East 176th Street in Morris Heights, which is more than a mile away from that apartment building where she died.
Harris is not the first transgender person to be murdered in New York City this year. A 33-year-old transgender woman named Lexi was fatally stabbed in East Harlem on March 28. On April 21, a pair of transgender women from New York were also killed when they were visiting Puerto Rico.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, 22 transgender or gender non-conforming people have been killed in the United States so far this year. That tally does not include Harris’ murder.
Anyone with information about Harris’ murder can call the NYPD at 800-577-8477 (TIPS).
To sign up for the Gay City News email newsletter, visit gaycitynews.com/newsletter.
