Suspect Arrested in Killing of Black Trans Woman Regina 'Mya' Allen

A man accused of killing a Milwaukee transgender woman has been taken into custody.

Regina "Mya" Allen, 35, was shot to death August 29. She had gotten into a Chevy Tahoe at a gas station with Clayton Hubbird, 31. As they approached her apartment, a witness heard them arguing and heard Allen say, "I'm shot." Hubbird fled, but before Allen died, she told police the man who shot her was one she'd met at the gas station who drove a Tahoe. Police recovered the vehicle the next day in Wauwatosa, a Milwaukee suburb, but Hubbird remained at large.

Now he has been apprehended, and he is charged with first-degree reckless homicide and use of a dangerous weapon, Milwaukee TV station WITI reports. He made his first court appearance Sunday, and cash bond was set at $250,000.

Allen was a member of Sisters Helping Each Other Battle Adversity, an advocacy, empowerment, and support group for Black transgender women, the Human Rights Campaign notes in a press release. "She was a Christian and her faith was important to her," the release continues. "Mya was also a fan of professional basketball and football." She loved fashion and makeup as well and would often post selfies of her looks.

"Mya was a beloved and beautiful soul who served as an inspiration to younger transgender girls in her community," Tori Cooper, director of community engagement for HRC's Transgender Justice Initiative," said in the release. "Mya should still be with us today, spreading her laughter and joy. Instead, we are confronted yet again with the killing of a Black transgender woman who was simply living her life and living in her truth. Across the nation, we see violence and hatred against transgender people that is fueled by stigma -- people wanting to shame and harm us for the unthinkable crime of wanting to live our lives to the fullest. It must end."

At least 32 trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people have died by violence in the U.S. this year, after a record 57 deaths last year. There are likely many more in any given year, as victims are often deadnamed and misgendered, or their deaths not reported at all.