Update: A month later, a suspect was charged for Fantroy's murder.

HRC is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Kiki Fantroy, a Black transgender woman fatally shot in Miami last week.

Fantroy, 21, was found in the early hours of July 31 after being shot multiple times, according to reports. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she died of her injuries.

Fantroy’s mother remembered her as having “a heart of gold” and being “a very loving person.” She also pleaded for justice in her daughter’s death, saying to reporters, “My baby, my baby. Please help bring justice to my baby.”

Fantroy’s death comes as a national spotlight is focused on the ongoing epidemic of gun violence in the U.S.. In the last 10 days, communities in Gilroy, California; El Paso, Texas; and Dayton, Ohio have been devastated by mass shootings. Of the more than 140 known victims of anti-transgender violence from 2013 to present, approximately two-thirds of those killed were victims of gun violence.

Tragically, Fantroy’s death is the 13th known case of deadly violence against the transgender community in 2019. All of the victims were Black transgender women.

As occurs far too often in the reporting of anti-transgender violence, initial reports also misgendered and misnamed Fantroy in coverage of the crime, delaying HRC’s awareness of her death.

Anti-transgender stigma is exacerbated by callous or disrespectful treatment too often seen from media, law enforcement and our highest elected officials. In the pursuit of greater accuracy and respect, HRC offers guidelines for journalists and others who report on transgender people.

The League of Extraordinary Transgender Women, a local advocacy group in South Florida, is working to spread awareness of the shooting to others in the community. Sahfari Ebony, a member of the League, said that “the story, it broke my heart. I actually was in tears.”

In November, ahead of Transgender Day of Remembrance, HRC Foundation released “A National Epidemic: Fatal Anti-Transgender Violence in America in 2018,” a heartbreaking report honoring the trans people killed and detailing the contributing and motivating factors that lead to this tragic violence.

It is clear that fatal violence disproportionately affects transgender women of color, and that the intersections of racism, transphobia, sexism, biphobia and homophobia conspire to deprive them of necessities to live and thrive.

This epidemic of violence that disproportionately targets transgender people of color -- particularly Black transgender women -- must cease.

For more information about HRC’s transgender justice work, visit hrc.org/Transgender.