Murder Victim Found In Car Was Transgender; Police Consult With FBI

CHARLOTTE, NC -- Police have arrested a suspect they say is responsible for the predawn murder of Derricka Lee Banner found shot to death in a vehicle Sept. 12 on Rosetta Street. Banner was initially identified in Charlotte police reports as a male by the name of Derrick, but according to local sources, she was a transgender woman who was known as Derricka.

She was the 20th transgender victim murdered in the U.S. this year, according to advocacy groups.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police arrested Montavious Sanchez Berry, 18, Sept. 12, less than a day after Banner, 26, was found gunned down in a vehicle in the 1400 block of Rosetta Street. She was pronounced dead on the scene, CMPD said.

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CMPD homicide detective believe Banner and Berry knew each other “and had communicated on previous occasions,” CMPD said in a Spet. 15 statement. “At this time, no information or evidence gathered indicates that Derrick Lee Banner was killed because of gender identity.”

“The CMPD is communicating with the FBI concerning this case,” the police department added.

“My thoughts and love go out to Derricka’s friends and family. She is the 20th trans person killed in 2017,” Charlotte Mayor Pro Tem Vi Lyles said in a tweet.

Banner, who was also known as “Ms. Bow Bow,” was originally from New York and lived in Lenoir, N.C., according to a report by Mic. Lenoir is about 75 miles north of Charlotte.

Transgender people and transgender women of color are often targets of violence, say advocacy groups. Nearly all of the known transgender people killed in 2017 -- 19 out of 20-- have been people of color, according to GLAAD. You can find a list of victim names here.

Berry has been charged with murder, armed robbery and shooting into an occupied vehicle and has been transferred to the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Department.

This article has been updated.

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