Camdyn Rider, the pregnant trans man who was murdered by his partner in Winter Haven July 22. (Rider’s Facebook profile picture)
A domestic violence incident turned deadly when a 26-year-old man shot his 21-year-old pregnant boyfriend multiple times murdering him before turning the gun on himself, dying in front of numerous witnesses.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, known for his YouTube celebrity status stemming from his folksy styled press conferences detailing the arrests and crimes in his jurisdiction, misgendered the victim in a press conference and in ongoing statements by his department to local media.
“This was a violent and horrific double murder that ended the lives of a 21-year-old [woman] who was eight months pregnant, and her unborn baby. When the suspect became enraged, family members and neighbors did everything they could to help her get away from him. Please keep this family in your prayers,” Judd told reporters.
“The incident occurred just after 7:00 p.m. outside in a neighborhood in front of several witnesses near their home located on Central Avenue West. At this stage in the investigation it’s clear that this is a domestic-related double murder suicide,” Judd’s office said in a press release.
Online media outlet Law & Crime which covers local, state, and federal courts along with criminal justice cases across the United States reported that the shooter, Riley John Groover, has a lengthy record of incidents involving domestic violence.
Law & Crime reported that the victim, Camdyn Rider, a trans man who was eight months pregnant and Groover had a violate relationship according to Groover’s mother who the couple were staying with at the time of the murder-suicide. According to the Sheriff, none of those violent incidents were reported to law enforcement.
Groover’s mother told media outlets that Groover took her gun, which she had in the home for protection, and used it to shoot Rider.
This incident happened in the community of Inwood in the city of Winter Haven, according to the Polk County Sheriff who noted that the first responders and medical staff at the hospital could not save the unborn baby despite all effort.
Attorney and Harvard law professor noted in her tweet July 24 that the transphobic/homophobic “Libs of TikTok” account, run by Chaya Raichik who claims that LGBTQ+ people are all “evil pedophiles” recruiting to a “cult,” mocked the murder.
A review of media outlets in Central Florida are continuing to misgender Rider following the initial reporting over the weekend.
