Charlotte transgender woman dies of injuries stemming from November attack
Faulkner becomes the 11th transgender person killed in the United States this year
A transgender woman in Charlotte, N.C., who was severely assaulted and left for dead next to a dumpster has died from complications arising from that initial attack.
Sherrell Faulkner, 46, was found on Nov. 30 at The Plaza and 35th Street, in a neighborhood with a reputation for being LGBTQ-friendly, suffering from serious injuries, reports The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are now conducting a homicide investigation into her death.
Faulkner is the 11th transgender woman to be killed in the United States in 2017. Last year, 22 transgender people, mostly transgender women of color, were killed in violent attacks.
“Our hearts are heavy with the news of the death of Sherrell Faulkner,” Ames Simmons, the director of transgender policy at Equality NC and a member of the Human Rights Campaign’s Board of Directors, said in a statement.
“We are facing a national epidemic of violence with 11 trans people, many of them transgender people of color, murdered in 2017,” Simmons added. “We are asking leaders and community leaders at every level to consider both the overt and the underlying reasons for these killing. We must address the root causes of violence against our community, and we cannot rest until the violence stops.”
So far, no arrests have been made at this point. Anyone with information about the attack is being asked to call Charlotte Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 or visit the Crime Stoppers mobile app website at charlottecrimestoppers.com.
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