Suspect arrested in killing of Milwaukee trans woman

A Milwaukee, Wis., man accused of fatally shooting Regina “Mya” Allen, a 35-year-old Black transgender woman in August, has been arrested.

Clayton Hubbird, 31, is charged with first-degree reckless homicide. He made his initial court appearance on Sunday, local television station WITI-TV reported. Cash bond was set at $250,000.

Security footage shows Hubbird and Allen having a short conversation outside a gas station on Aug. 29 before hopping back into the suspect’s Chevy Tahoe and then driving to her apartment, according to authorities

A witness later told police that there were two people arguing inside a black SUV. The witness then heard a gunshot and Allen screaming, “I’m shot.”

The suspect fled, but the victim was able to call 911. Before she died, she told an officer that she had been shot by the person she’d met at the gas station.

Authorities recovered the vehicle the next day, but Hubbird remained at large until his arrest late last week.

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Allen, who was an active member of the Sisters Helping Each Other Battle Adversity (SHEBA) — a local advocacy and support group for Black transgender women — was a “beloved and beautiful soul who served as an inspiration to younger transgender girls in her community,” according to Tori Cooper, director of community engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative at the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

“Mya should still be with us today, spreading her laughter and joy. Instead, we are confronted yet again with the killing of a Black transgender woman who was simply living her life and living in her truth,” Cooper said in a statement.

“Across the nation, we see violence and hatred against transgender people that is fueled by stigma – people wanting to shame and harm us for the unthinkable crime of wanting to live our lives to the fullest. It must end,” she added.

At least 32 trans and gender-nonconforming people have been killed in the U.S. this year. Nearly all of them were trans women of color, according to data compiled by HRC.

At the time, Allen was believed to be the 29th violent death of a trans person in the country.

Last year marked the deadliest year on record for trans people in the U.S., with at least 56 deaths — nearly all of them Black and Latina trans women.

The previous record was registered in 2020, when at least 44 trans people were murdered in the country.