Denali Berries Stuckey Is 12th Black Trans Woman Murdered in 2019

Denali Berries Stuckey was murdered in Charleston, South Carolina early Saturday morning, according to local reports. Trans Griot blogger Monica Roberts, who also covered the death, notes that local media misgendered her in their reporting.

According to North Charleston Police, Stuckey's body was found around 4 a.m. EST on the side of the road. The victim had a gunshot wound and was 29 years old. ABC News 4 dead named Stuckey in their reporting, noting that the Alliance For Full Acceptance and the Human Rights Campaign identified her as a transgender woman. So far, the death is being investigated as a homicide and police have not confirmed that it is being investigated as a possible hate crime.

A memorial is being planned for the victim in North Charleston organized by AFFA, Charleston Pride, Charleston Black Pride, We Are Family, SC Equality, Charleston Area Transgender Support and others for Monday night.

"I am heartbroken and outraged by the news of yet another murder of one of our transgender community members," the AFFA executive director Chase Glenn said in a statement. "Denali is the third known Bblack trans woman to have been murdered in South Carolina since 2018." Stuckey is the 12th known trans woman in the United States to have been murdered this year -- all have been Black.

"We refuse to become numb," Glenn continued in his statement. "We will continue to say the names of these women and remember them how they would have wanted to be remembered."

Stuckey was a Charleston native and worked as a manicurist. There are no reported leads in her death.