November 2, 2023
Black Trans Woman Murdered In Chicago Walking Home, Family Believes She Was Targeted
Lisa Love's family described her as "free-spirited" and "caring."
Lisa Love, a Black transgender woman who lived in Chicago, was reportedly shot and killed on Oct. 17 as she was walking home from a friend’s house.
WGN News reported that the 35-year-old trans woman was fatally shot in the chest and back. Police confirmed the shooting occurred at 4:30 a.m. near 79th St. and Cottage Grove Ave. Love’s family members believe she was targeted and said that people in the neighborhood were aware Love was a trans woman.
Donna, the victim’s cousin, spoke about the moments leading up to the tragic event: “A car just drove up, made a U-turn and [saw] my cousin. Approximately 30 seconds later, the car stopped, and my cousin was shot.”
“An all-around good person who did not deserve this,” Donna also told WGN in a phone interview. “A loving, caring, free-spirited person. Always smiling and laughing.”
“It appears that the last thing Lisa Love did before her death was visit a friend. She clearly brought joy to many others and deserved to continue being a bright spot in the lives of her friends and family,” said Tori Cooper of the Transgender Justice Initiative. The organization noted that Love’s shooting marks the fourth transgender or gender non-conforming hate crime involving a Black victim in October and the second for Chicago within the month. The trans woman has been added to a list of at least 24 victims in 2023.
The Transgender Law Center mourned Love’s death with its social media community.
“May she rest in peace and power,” the center wrote about the Black trans woman.
The head of Chicago’s Federal Bureau of Investigations office recently released a warning to Chicagoans addressing an alarming surge in hate crimes in the city.
On Oct. 26, the Human Rights Campaign said police were investigating the shooting.
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