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Monique Brooks was remembered for her sweet and outgoing disposition. Police are looking for those responsible.
Police in Florida are asking for the public’s help in identifying the person who shot and killed a Black transgender woman in an Orlando parking lot last month.
Monique Brooks, 49, was found suffering from at least one gunshot wound outside a Burlington Coat Factory around 3:50 a.m. on July 19, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. She was taken to a local hospital, where she later was pronounced dead.
Lathan is the 22nd known trans individual to die violently this year in the U.S.
Police have few leads on the identity of Brooks’s killer and have asked for the public’s help. Joining them is her distraught sister, Lecia Paul.
“If anybody anywhere hears anything, sees anything, even just that inkling of anything, please reach out to law enforcement,” Paul told local Fox affiliate WRBR. “Please, please. This didn't have to happen.”
Brooks was remembered as a beloved friend and activist within the local trans community. She was involved with Divas in Dialogue, a sisterhood of transgender women of color seeking to empower, build, and strengthen each other and the community.
Mulan Montrese Williams, executive director of Divas in Dialogue, recalled her unforgettably sweet and outgoing disposition.
“Monique was one of the sweetest souls I’ve ever known,” Williams said in a statement. “She has always been the life of the party and willing to help anyone in need. She will be truly missed. Her kindness and outgoing spirit will never be forgotten.”
Tori Cooper, director of community engagement for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Transgender Justice Initiative, mourned Brooks’s loss and called out the violence against the transgender community.
“We’ve lost yet another Black trans woman to gun violence,” Cooper said in a statement. “Monique was a gem of a person who should be with us today. We call on Orange County to exhaust all possible means in securing justice for Monique. As a community, we grieve Monique and know that her bright spirit will live on through her loved ones.”
Anyone with information about Brooks’s murder is encouraged to call Crimeline at (800) 423-8477.
