The mother of a Black transgender teenager fatally shot in Alabama a few days ago believes her daughter was targeted because of her gender identity.
18-year-old Cameron Thompson, was shot multiple times just after midnight on Monday. Her body was discovered that afternoon, only a few blocks from her home, according to Captain Jack Kennedy of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit.
Authorities confirmed that Thompson and the suspect, who knew each other, had interacted prior to the incident. Investigators reviewed Thompson’s online activity and found that she had posted comments on social media about the suspect’s sexual orientation before her death. However, police have not disclosed details about these posts or the nature of their relationship.
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The suspect, who is under 18, is being charged as an adult with Thompson’s murder. Due to state laws protecting the identity of juvenile defendants, further information about the suspect has not been released.
Thompson’s mother, Nikki Matthews-Cunningham, 37, believes her daughter was killed because of her identity.
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“Of course, it was a hate crime,” Matthews-Cunningham told The Associated Press on Thursday. “If it had been a non-transgender girl who said something about him on social media, he wouldn’t have lured her out of her home and killed her. But because my child was transgender, that’s why he did it.”
“I hate this happened to her, all because of her choice of wanting to be who she was. That’s the only reason she is dead,” she added.
The legal definition of a hate crime varies by state. Alabama is one of nine states that do not include sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity in hate crime classifications, according to the Department of Justice. In contrast, 32 states recognize sexual orientation, and only 15 include gender identity in their hate crime laws.
Thompson is the second known transgender person fatally shot in Alabama this year, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Tayy Thomas, a 17-year-old Black transgender teenager was the first to be killed in Mobile, Alabama, in May. Thomas’ family described the man charged in her death as a long-term romantic partner, according to AL.com.
About 36 transgender people were killed in violent acts over a 12-month period ending in November, according to the Human Rights Campaign’s annual report released on Transgender Day of Remembrance. More than half of the victims were Black transgender women.
“Cameron’s death is not just a profound loss for her family and loved ones — it is a heartbreaking and unjust loss for the entire transgender community in Alabama and beyond,” said Carmarion D. Anderson-Harvey, the Human Rights Campaign’s Alabama director. “Her life mattered. Her dreams, her light, and her limitless potential were stolen far too soon. Law enforcement must conduct a thorough, transparent investigation and find some measure of justice for Cameron’s loved ones.”
Thompson was described by her mother as intelligent, ambitious, and someone who “lit up a room when she walked in.” She had recently earned her high school diploma through an alternative jobs training program after transferring schools. Her public school experience had been marred by classmates and staff who opposed her use of the women’s restroom and refused to use pronouns aligned with her gender identity, Matthews-Cunningham said.
“She struggled with people not wanting to accept her for who she was. But she was such a good person,” her mother added. Thompson had plans to attend college and eventually move to New York City.
“She was just starting her life,” Matthews-Cunningham said.
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