The name of a Los Angeles trans woman murdered last week during what police called a "robbery gone bad" has now been released, along with surveilance footage of her assault.
Aniya Parker, 47, was shot around 2:30 a.m. last Thursday after being confronted by a group of men on the 600 block of North Kenmore Avenue, near the Hollywood Freeway in the East Hollywood section of L.A.
Footage shows Parker being punched by her assailants, after which she tried to run away from the group. One of the men fired a shot, hitting Parker in the head. She briefly sat on the curb across the street before collapsing. She was transported to the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead a few hours later.
While police have voiced doubts that Parker's killing was related to her transgender status, local activists and attendees at a vigil appear unmoved by that assertion.
"This was not a robbery, in fact, they left the purse behind," Mary Zeiser told L.A. TV station KABC. "This is a cold-blooded hate crime and this type of violence needs to end."
Police are hopeful that additional surveilance feeds will turn up a clearer depiction of the suspects. In the meantime, they ask anyone with any knowledge of the incident to contact the Los Angeles Police Department at (877) 527-3247.
