Black Trans Woman Fatally Shot in New Jersey
Advocates recall Shai Vanderpump as a fi erce LGBTQ advocate
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
A man has been arrested
and charged for the fatal
shooting of a 23-yearold
Black transgender
woman in Trenton, New Jersey.
Daniel L. Smith, 36, of Ewing,
New Jersey, faces multiple charges,
including one count of murder
and weapon offenses, for allegedly
killing Shai Vanderpump, a trans
woman and prominent LGBTQ
rights advocate, reports the Trentonian.
According to the paper,
the Mercer County Prosecutor’s
Special Investigations Unit apprehended
Smith during a traffi c stop
on July 31. This comes just a day
after the same outlet reported that
the Trenton Police Department responded
to an early morning call
that Vanderpump was shot in the
face in a home at 55 Kelsey Avenue.
That morning, Vanderpump was
taken to a local hospital, where she
was pronounced dead.
An affi davit obtained by the Trentonian
shows that the perpetrator
attempted to cover up the incident.
Following the attack, Smith called
911 and indicated that “someone
pulled him out of bed” and “was
shot in the residence,” according
to the affi davit. but a witness later
identifi ed the suspect’s voice in the
911 recording. Authorities noted
that Smith was the only person to
report that the victim was shot.
In a statement on Facebook,
Garden State Equality, an LGBTQ
advocacy group, described Vanderpump
as “a fi erce LGBTQ advocate,”
adding that they are “devastated”
by her tragic death.
“We will fi ght to bring justice to
Shai and her loved ones. #JusticeforShai,”
the post continued.
Offi cials and advocacy groups
believe the attack was motivated
by hate and are collaborating on
the investigation.
In the wake of Vanderpump’s
death, Victoria Kirby York, the
National Black Justice Coalition’s
deputy executive director, voiced
calls for lawmakers to develop
policies that prevent anti-trans attacks.
Shai Vanderpump, a Black trans woman, was shot and killed in New Jersey on July 30. She was 23
years old.
“It is absolutely devastating to
have another young, Black, transgender
woman stolen from us too
soon,” Kirby York said in a written
statement. “This epidemic of
violence has continued for far too
long, without enough action being
taken to address it and protect the
lives of some of the most vulnerable
in our community. What we
have seen are attacks on the community
in the form of anti-trans
legislation across the country, that
does nothing more than further
the discrimination and oppression
the trans community already
faces.”
Kirby York added, “Legislation
needs to be codifi ed to help prevent
violence and prioritize the safety
of the trans community. All of us
have to fi ght against the transphobia
and misogyny that fuels this
violence and stigma that is present
and too often accepted in our communities.”
FACEBOOK/GARDEN STATE EQUALITY
Like many transgender victims,
Vanderpump was misgendered by
police and in local media reports,
which may have delayed advocates
from correctly identifying the victim.
The slain woman’s relatives
slapped on further transphobic
CRIME
bias by misgendering and deadnaming
her in a GoFundMe, which
was set up in her honor.
In a written statement, Tori Cooper,
HRC’s director of community
engagement for the Transgender
Justice Initiative, condemned the
wave of violence against the trans
community.
“The loss of Shai Vanderpump
is devastating,” Cooper said in a
written statement. “Shai was a
well-known LGBTQ advocate in
New Jersey, and her loss will be
felt by her friends, family, and local
community, as well as the
wider LGBTQ community. Her
life should never have been taken.
Too many transgender and gender
non-conforming lives have already
been lost. We need everyone, in every
state, city, and community, to
help bring an end to this senseless
violence and stigma that so often
impacts Black trans women.”
After a record-high 44 known
transgender Americans were
killed last year, the spate of deadly
violence has spilled into 2021.
In April, two Black transgender
women were shot to death in hotel
rooms in North Carolina. Earlier
this year, there were back to back
trans murders, which included
Davarea “Tyianna” Alexander,
who was shot and killed in Chicago
on January 6; Samuel Edmund
Damián Valentín, who died
in Puerto Rico on January 9; and
Natasha Keianna, who was found
dead in an SUV in Detroit on January
12.
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