A transgender woman who was brutally beaten Saturday night in New York's Harlem neighborhood died Thursday of her injuries.
Islan Nettles was taken off life support yesterday at Harlem Hospital, news website DNAInfo New York reports. She was 21 and an aspiring fashion designer.
Nettles and a friend, also a transgender woman, were attacked by a group of men late Saturday night. Upon learning the women were transgender, the men began punching them and using homophobic slurs, according to DNAInfo.
Police, who are investigating the attack as a bias crime, have arrested a 20-year-old man in connection with it but have not released his name. He has been charged with misdemeanor assault, but the charge is expected to be upgraded now, police said.