Trans woman Nikai David shot dead in California; becomes 50th fatal victim of anti-trans violence in the U.S. in 2021
A transgender woman who was shot to death in Oakland, Calif., late last week has become the 50th known victim of fatal violence against the trans, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming community in the U.S.
Nikai David was a 33-year-old model who dreamed of opening her own clothing line. She died in the early hours of Friday, according to the local Fox affiliate KTVU.
Police responded to a shooting in West Oakland just after 4 a.m., where they found a woman who had been shot in the head.
The woman was later identified as David, who lived in nearby Hayward and who had just celebrated her birthday a week before her death.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Nikai David
On Saturday, the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center shared in a Facebook post that David was “a beloved community member” and that “right now everyone at the Center is pretty shaken up.”
David was a close friend of one of the Center’s employees, Ashlee Banks, who described her as a “really sweet” and “happy, fun person.”
According to the Human Rights Campaign, which has been tracking anti-trans violence since 2013, 2021 is already the most violent year on record for the transgender and gender-nonconforming community in the U.S.
The previous record, in 2020, saw 46 known anti-trans murders across the country. That number was surpassed in early November.
Nearly all of the victims are trans women of color.
“Learning about Nikai David’s death is disheartening and alarming,” Tori Cooper, the director of community engagement for the HRC’s Transgender Justice Initiative, said in a statement.
“In the year that we’ve marked as the deadliest year on record for our community, we continue to see a frightening rate of fatal violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people. We must all continue to demand that the violence cease. David was a young person with so much life ahead of her. For her future to have been violently taken away from her serves as a reminder that we remain with so much work ahead of us to ensure a safe and loving world for all,” she added.
Nikai David was a 33-year-old model who dreamed of opening her own clothing line. She died in the early hours of Friday, according to the local Fox affiliate KTVU.
Police responded to a shooting in West Oakland just after 4 a.m., where they found a woman who had been shot in the head.
The woman was later identified as David, who lived in nearby Hayward and who had just celebrated her birthday a week before her death.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Nikai David
On Saturday, the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center shared in a Facebook post that David was “a beloved community member” and that “right now everyone at the Center is pretty shaken up.”
David was a close friend of one of the Center’s employees, Ashlee Banks, who described her as a “really sweet” and “happy, fun person.”
According to the Human Rights Campaign, which has been tracking anti-trans violence since 2013, 2021 is already the most violent year on record for the transgender and gender-nonconforming community in the U.S.
The previous record, in 2020, saw 46 known anti-trans murders across the country. That number was surpassed in early November.
Nearly all of the victims are trans women of color.
“Learning about Nikai David’s death is disheartening and alarming,” Tori Cooper, the director of community engagement for the HRC’s Transgender Justice Initiative, said in a statement.
“In the year that we’ve marked as the deadliest year on record for our community, we continue to see a frightening rate of fatal violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people. We must all continue to demand that the violence cease. David was a young person with so much life ahead of her. For her future to have been violently taken away from her serves as a reminder that we remain with so much work ahead of us to ensure a safe and loving world for all,” she added.
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