Police Hope $50K Reward Will Lead to Witnesses of Transgender Woman's Killing

Los Angeles police detectives said today they are searching for a possible witness to the shooting death of a transgender woman in East Hollywood, and hoping that a pending $50,000 city-funded reward will help them crack the case.

Aniya Parker, 47, was gunned down just before 3 a.m. Oct. 2 near Melrose Avenue and Kenmore Avenue and died at a hospital, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

LAPD Detective K. White said police are working multiple leads, including poring over “several videos that depict the incident as it occurred.”

Investigators believe an unidentified person who was seen with Parker earlier may have also witnessed the shooting or have information about the attack, “so we’d like him to come forward,” White said.

Parker was walking down the street when she was approached by two to three male Latinos, estimated to range in age from 20 to 35, LAPD Capt. Brian Pratt said.

The encounter resulted in an apparent struggle for a purse, then Parker broke away, Pratt said. It was unclear whether Parker was shot during the struggle or as she was trying to flee, the captain said.

The purse that seemed to be at the center of the dispute was left at the scene, Pratt said, but detectives do not know if anything had been taken from it.

Pratt said they have not determined whether Parker was targeted due to her transgender identity, so are investigating the shooting as a random “street robbery gone bad.”

Councilman Mitch O’Farrell today introduced a $50,000 reward motion that is scheduled to be considered by the full City Council on Tuesday.

Transgender women are especially vulnerable to being targeted by criminals, O’Farrell said.

“Aniya was a constituent. Aniya was our neighbor, has a family that loves and cares for her,” O’Farrell said. “This is why I’m working with LAPD to bring the person or persons responsible for her death to justice, but we absolutely need your help.”

Parker’s relatives joined O’Farrell to urge those with information about the crime to come forward.

Adrian Parker said her sibling’s death has caused their family “deep emotional stress.”

“They want to understand,” she said. “If you could just turn yourself in -- somebody that knows something. I know it’s a hard thing to do. Step up to the plate.”

--City News Service

PHOTO Patch file photo.

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