Puerto Rico officials in Toa Baja confirmed on Tuesday that transgender woman Neulisa Luciano Ruiz, or Alexa, was shot and killed Monday morning.
Her death came hours after someone called the police on her for using the McDonald's bathroom. The caller viewed the incident as a man going into the woman's bathroom and that Alexa had a mirror so the caller feared that Alexa was a peeping tom.
According to another media source, the woman in the bathroom complained Alexa was using the mirror to see her private parts, but this has not been confirmed by the police.
Social Media had, now deleted posts, of transphobic nature. Among those posts was a video posted by at least two individuals who are the alleged killers. The spanish speaking video roughly translates to the following:
“Hey, can you give me some of that ass,”
“We are going to shoot you up.”
“Let’s spin the tires on this motherf-----.”
“You bet I am going to go and shoot him.”
Throughout the video Alexa could be seen weaving in and out a tarp shelter in the night, ignoring the men. The video follows up with the sound of about 10 shots.
Activist Pedro Julio Serrano spokesperson for Puerto Rico For All spoke out in demand for justice, "The terrible murder of a trans woman, revealed in a video where she is stalked and hunted, is nothing more than a hate crime motivated by intolerance. We must denounce the hate speech of the fundamentalist groups that have promoted a climate where they prosecute and persecute a trans person for the mere fact of using a bathroom...Enough of so much hate. Trans people and LGBTTIQ people are as human beings as others." Serrano also condemned the media for misgendering Alex and describing her as man in a black dress.
The police have so far stated that they have an idea of Alexa's family, but as of yet no family members have come to claim here.
Captain Ricardo Haddock, director of the Criminal Investigation Corps (CIC) stated, "We have information on who are the possible relatives (of Alexa), but we have not been able to locate them" Haddock told the people to killers to surrender. At the moment, no suspects have been listed.
David Begnaud, Anchor for CBS News Radio, recounts the story below. Graphic video below. Please watch with your own discretion.