Group of men attack, kill transgender woman in street

Police in Philadelphia are investigating the murder of a transgender woman this week after she was beaten in the street and shot twice.

Keisha Jenkins, 22, of North Philadelphia, was dropped off about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, NBC News reported. She was approached by a group of at least five men who began to beat her, police said.

After Jenkins fell to the ground, one of the men shot her twice in the back. She was taken to an area hospital and was pronounced dead shortly after.

Police said on Wednesday it was too early to determine whether or not the attack was a hate crime.

“These murders are happening in incredibly violent situations to a very small population, over and over again, from one coast to the next,” Helen Fitzpatrick, director of LGBT affairs 
in the Philadelphia mayor’s office, told Buzzfeed.

"Right now we don't have any motive," said Philadelphia police Captain James Clark. "We don't know if it's potentially a hate crime or if it was a robbery. We really don't know. It's too early in the investigation to tell." 

Twitter and Facebook users spreading the news used the hashtag #SayHerName to urge others to help find her killers.

Jenkins is at least the 18th transgender or gender nonconforming person of color murdered in the United States so far this year.

A reward of $20,000 is being offered for any information leading to an arrest and conviction. If you have any information, call Philadelphia police at 215-686-3334.

Contact Kristen DeSilva at kdesilva@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @kristendesilva