Hate Crimes 2016: Transgender Person Shot In Philadelphia As Anti-Transgender Homicide Rate Soars Across US

A transgender person was shot after leaving a bar in Philadelphia’s Overbrook section Sunday night. The 21-year-old victim was shot in the hip and taken to a nearby hospital where he remains in stable condition. Police are now seeking two male suspects in the crime.

The unnamed victim told police that he was leaving a bar in the area when two men followed him outside, CBS Philadelphia reported. After walking about two blocks, one of the men fired his gun and hit him.

“Based on ballistic evidence, we know at least five shots were fired from a small caliber, semiautomatic weapon,” Chief Inspector Scott Small told CBS Philadelphia. “We don’t have a motive for the shooting at this time.”

Police are unsure if the victim was targeted due to his gender identity or for another reason and were hoping to gain additional information from nearby security cameras.

In February, a transgender woman named Maya Young was killed in Philadelphia after being stabbed multiple times. Young was the first transgender person to be killed in the city in 2016. She was found in Philadelphia's Frankford section and taken to a nearby hospital, where she later died. A man and woman were arrested for the killing in March, though a motive for the attack was not given.

Homicides of transgender people across the United States reached an all-time high in 2016. As of Nov. 10, at least 24 transgender people had been murdered. In 2015, 22 transgender people were killed. The National Coalition of Anti-Violence programs classified all but four of the deaths in 2015 as hate crimes.

Hate crimes are considered more serious offenses than crimes not motivated by bias or hate under Philadephia law. The Ethnic Intimidation Act covers any crime or intimidation based on race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, sexual orientation or gender and gender identity.