21-year-old transgender woman shot dead outside a shopping mall

21-year-old transgender woman
shot dead outside a shopping mall
Police in suburban Washington, D.C. are
investigating the murder of a 21-year-old
transgender woman who was shot dead outside
a Maryland shopping center on Thursday,
October15. Zella Ziona was found in an alleyway
near a Washington, D.C. parking lot between two
shopping malls, with a fatal gunshot wound to
her head. She later died at a hospital.
According to The Advocate, Ziona is the 21st
transgender person killed in the United States in
2015, a record-high number. Police initially
identified Ziona as a man due to identification
found at the scene, but after speaking with
friends and family, authorities on Friday correctly
used her chosen gender and name. Although
police have not officially called her death a hate
crime, they haven't ruled out the possibility.
"This is a horrific crime and a tragedy for those
who knew Zella," Montgomery County Police
Chief J. Thomas Mangersaid in a statement.
As with all homicides in Montgomery County, we
have detectives working around the clock to
thoroughly and completely investigate this
murder." Friends and supporters have taken to
social media, many using the hashtag
#SayHerName, to remember Ziona, and to draw
attention to what has been called a violent
epidemic against trans people. Police have not
identified a suspect, but a witness told WJLA
that he saw Ziona surrounded by and arguing
with four or five teenagers, one of them then
shot her four or five times.
A witness who wished to remain anonymous told
WJLA that he saw the gunfire around 5:50 p.m.
on Thursday. "They argued and things happened
so fast. I don't know what they argued for," the
witness said. In the midst of an argument, he
says one of the teens pulled out a gun and shot
Ziona in the head. A $10,000 reward is being
offered for information leading to an arrest