Black Trans Woman in Critical Condition After L.A. Shooting

A Black transgender woman is in critical condition after being shot in downtown Los Angeles Tuesday evening.

The woman, whose name has not been released, is in her 20s, L.A. Police Department officers told the Los Angeles Blade. She was found shortly after 7 p.m. "in an alley near an abandoned industrial building," police told the paper via email, with a single gunshot wound to her upper body. She was taken to a local hospital.

Police have yet to make any arrests. Robbery and homicide detectives from the LAPD's Central Division are continuing to investigate.

Violence against trans people, especially Black and Latinx women, continues to be widespread. There have been at least 18 homicides of trans Americans this year. The two most recent reported victims have both been Black women: Merci Mack, 22, shot to death Tuesday in Dallas, and Brayla Stone, 17, found dead in Little Rock, Ark., June 25.