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Trans Woman Killed in Portland; Suspect Arrested and Charged

Sophia Grace Adler
Murder suspect Sophia Grace Adler

Sophia Grace Adler (pictured) is charged with the murder of Gigi Pierce.

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A transgender woman was shot and killed in Portland, Ore., Monday night, and a suspect has been charged with her murder.

The victim, 28-year-old Gigi Pierce, was killed in the city's downtown area late Monday, but not identified as transgender until the following day, The Portland Mercury reports. Police said she was from Boise, Idaho, and it wasn't clear how long she had been in Portland. She was lying wounded on a sidewalk, and first responders attempted to treat her, but she died within minutes, reports local TV station KATU.

At the scene, police arrested Sophia Grace Adler, 33, and later booked her into the Multnomah County Jail on a murder charge. Adler's last known address was an emergency shelter for women near the crime scene, The Oregonian reports. She pleaded not guilty Tuesday, according to KATU.

A fight reportedly preceded the shooting. "I heard Gigi say, 'Don't touch me,'" a woman identified as Amber, a friend of Pierce's, told the station. "And the woman came up and hit Gigi in the face with her purse. That kinda set Gigi off. Gigi went to hit her, pulled back to hit her, and the next thing I know my ear's ringing. There had been a gunshot. It all happened so fast. It always does. It all happened so fast." Pierce, Amber said, "died in my arms."

Police gave a similar account. "We do believe that prior to the shooting there had been some type of disagreement or disturbance that was going on that led up to the shooting," Sgt. Christ Burley of the Portland Police Bureau told KATU.

Josie Deleon-Summa, who said she knew both Pierce and Adler, remembered Pierce as someone "full of life, always trying to help somebody," the TV station reports. Deleon-Summa also said Adler was "a good kid," but "something happened ... to make her snap."

The Q Center, Portland's LGBT community center, is planning a response to Pierce's death, executive director Oscar Guerra-Vera told the Mercury.

Pierce is the 11th known transgender homicide victim in the U.S. this year. Most have been women of color. The total number is likely much higher, given that some are misgendered by police or media, and some homicides not reported at all.

[RELATED: These Are the Trans People Killed in 2018]

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Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.