The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office does not believe the three homicides involving transgender black women are connected at this time, the agency said Monday.
JSO’s spokeswoman Melissa Bujeda told First Coast News that “We have no reason to believe at this time that any of the murders are related.”
Bujeda also stated that the investigations into these three homicides are still ongoing and if new information becomes releasable, then JSO will send it out.
This statement comes just one day after a black transgender woman in her 20s was found dead from a gunshot wound at the Quality Inn in the 8300 block of Dix Ellis Trail.
So far, JSO has stated a man in a beige vehicle is wanted as a suspect.
This homicide marks the third transgender victim in Jacksonville this year. Twenty-three percent of the nation’s 13 total confirmed transgender homicides occurred here on the First Coast.
The first one this year occurred on Feb. 4, when 36-year-old Celine Walker was found shot and killed inside a room at the Extended Stay America in the Southpoint area.
The second transgender homicide occurred June 1, when 38-year-old Antash’a English was found with a gunshot wound to the abdomen between two abandoned homes in the 1500 block of Ella Street. She later died at a hospital.
A fourth transgender woman also was shot this year, according to our partners at The Florida Times-Union.
The Human Rights Campaign's national press secretary Sarah McBride released the following statement regarding the violence against transgender women in Jacksonville:
"First and foremost, we join the Jacksonville transgender community in mourning the loss of a third transgender victim of fatal violence. Antash’a English, Celine Walker, and this latest unnamed victim were young women filled with hopes and dreams, and worthy of dignity and respect. For years, there has been a crisis of violence targeting the transgender community, particularly transgender women of color. With four shootings - including three fatal shootings - of transgender women in the last six months, Jacksonville is now at the center of that crisis. We are reaching out to contacts within Jacksonville law enforcement and government for more information and to urge a thorough and complete investigation to find those responsible for these murders and to bring them to justice. We are also deeply troubled by the repeated misgendering of these victims by both law enforcement and the media and we implore all those tasked with investigating and covering these tragic murders to respect the gender identity of the victims, both because it is the right thing to do and because it is a necessary component in combatting this epidemic of violence."
This Wednesday, a local activist group is hosting a Trans Lives Matter event outside the Duval County Courthouse at 7 p.m. Find out more information here.
Police are asking anyone with information regarding these cases to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500 or email JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org. To remain anonymous and receive a possible reward up to $3,000 you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.