2 men arrested after transgender woman robbed, shot on Detroit's west side

DETROIT – Police said two men who robbed and shot a woman Friday in Detroit have been taken into custody.

Police said at about 1:45 a.m., two men got out of a vehicle in the 17800 block of Woodward Avenue and took a 36-year-old woman's purse. One of the men, who had a rifle, shot the victim four times when she tried to flee.

The victim was listed in serious condition. Police have not confirmed if she was targeted because she is transgender.

The men left in a red GMC Yukon. After a brief chase, the vehicle jumped a curb and struck a concrete barrier, police said.

Three people exited the vehicle and fled on foot, police said. Police detained one person and recovered the rifle, while the two others got away.

Less than 24 hours after the shooting, many gathered in Ferndale to remember members of the transgender community who have been lost to violence.

While the woman survived the shooting, there still weren't enough candles at the vigil to honor all of the people who have died as a result of anti-transgender violence in a year.

"This year, we're honoring 487 names, and that's just one year," said Michelle Fox-Phillips, of the Gender Identity Network Alliance.

Friends of the shooting victim, who is known as "Chocolate," described her as supportive.

"When I heard that, I couldn't believe it. I live in Ferndale and it's 2 miles down the road. We can do better than this," Father Charles Blanchard of Christ the Good Shepherd church, said.

Transgender Remembrance Day is Monday.


About the Authors:

Jason is Local 4’s utility infielder. In addition to anchoring the morning newscast, he often reports on a variety of stories from the tragic, like the shootings at Michigan State, to the off-beat, like great gas station food.