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Transgender community reacts to Baltimore woman shot, killed

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One LGBTQ advocate says she was brought to tears because of Wednesday morning's murder.

Five blocks away from this morning's murder, Key'Ayshia Tucker says hearing another transgender person being killed was off-putting. 

"I'm sick of it. I'm tired. I came to tears for the first time although I don't know who the person really is personally. It's still personally affective," Tucker said. 

RELATED: Transgender woman shot, killed in Baltimore

Tucker is an LGBT advocate and works at Baltimore's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center. 

She says the murder is a reality of what people in the transgender community deal with. 

"Now I'm faced with, you know, having to see things like this come across my desk where girls are being killed off for trying to survive -- for living in their truth. There's not enough housing for these girls, there's not enough jobs for these girls. These girls don't even have a continued education," Tucker went on to say. 

 

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While it's still too early determine why 38-year-old Alphonza Watson was killed, Baltimore Police still want to make sure people in the LGBT community are OK.

"My job is to make sure that the community feels comfortable and they have someone that they can talk to and not just for this case, but for any case," Sgt. Kevin Bailey, the LBGTQ liaison for the police department, said. 

Since 2005, BPD says 14 transgender people have been killed. Most recently, last all where Crystal Edmonds was shot dead.

Her case is still unsolved. 

"Let's just come up with a conclusion of what to do to keep these girls and guys safe. They're human too," Tucker said. 

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She says in a city where the murder rate grows, she's fighting to protect those who are some of the most vulnerable. 

"I'm speaking for them and I'm not going to turn my back on them. I'm fighting for these answers as well."