ABOVE: Bree Black, photo via Black’s Facebook page.
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. | A transgender woman was shot and killed in Pompano Beach July 3, and the Broward Sheriff’s Office is asking any eyewitnesses to come forward to help solve her murder.
Bree Black, 27, was killed that evening at 10:18 p.m. by 244 NW 12th St. in Pompano Beach, close to her home. While hundreds of people were in the street when police arrived, Homicide Sgt. Bryan Tutler said that law enforcement has little to go on right now.
“The witness accounts that we have are very basic and they’re coming from most people who got involved after the shooting, not people who saw the [crime] unfortunately,” he said in a press conference July 6.
Tutler, who was not at the scene, said that a lot of people were outside at the time of the shooting because of the Fourth of July weekend. By the time police arrived at the scene, Black was already dead and hundreds of people were congregating in the streets and sidewalk. However, no one has come forward with details about the shooting.
Law enforcement doesn’t know if the shooter was on foot or in a car, if Black and the shooter knew each other, or if she was specifically targeted for any reason, including being transgender.
“There’s nothing indicating an exact motive,” Tutler said.
During the press conference, BSO used female pronouns and her preferred name, Bree Black. She also went by the nickname Nuk, according to Tatiana Williams, the co-founder and executive director of TransInclusive Group, and she sometimes used they/them pronouns.
Williams was a part of the press conference and has been in touch with Black’s family. She said that although she did not ask about what they thought the motive was, no one brought it up with her. Right now, they are focused on “figuring out what they want to do,” she said.
“I was more concerned about what it is that they would need from a community perspective and how we wanted to present Bree,” she said.
Williams added the family wants to plan a vigil or memorial for her and details will be released soon.
Black’s death is a part of an epidemic of crimes against transgender people, particularly black transgender women. According to the Transgender Law Center, she is one of six black transgender women found dead in the last week.
She is the 21st transgender person killed this year, compared to the at least 27 total killed in 2019, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
Compass in Lake Worth addressed Black’s death on Facebook, saying “These senseless acts of violence continue to plague of transgender community of color at disproportional rates.”
If you have information about Bree Black’s death, contact Det. Louis Bonhomme at 954-321-4377. To remain anonymous, contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477) or browardcrimestoppers.org.
