D.C. police are asking the public for help in solving the fatal shooting of Daquane “Dream” Johnson, a 28-year-old transgender woman who was shot on Saturday, July 5, in the 2000 block of Benning Road NE.
Officers arrived around 12:51 a.m. and discovered Johnson unconscious, sufferingย gunshot wounds. She was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead.
The police department’s official statement did not include Johnson’s gender identity or classify the incident as a hate crime. However, family members and longtime LGBTQ+ activists confirmed to the Washington Blade that Johnson was a transgender woman known to friends and loved ones as Dream.
Johnson’s aunt, Vanna Terrell, told the Blade that Johnson had intended to change her name legally but hadn’t gotten around to it.
According to Terrell, two teenage witnesses informed a buddy that they saw three males approach Johnson and utter a slur before one started firing and continued shooting until the weapon was empty. The witnesses said they recognized Johnson as she walked down Benning Road.
Terrell and local advocate Earline Budd believe the nature of the incident indicates a hate crime.
Budd called the quantity of shots fired “overkill” and suggested they could be indicative of a hate crime.
D.C. police said that the investigation has not yet found proof that the death was motivated by hatred or bigotry and that they are currently gathering information.
Natasha Kennedy, a D.C. homicide detective, is in charge of the investigation. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact her immediately at 202-380-6198.
Dream Johnson’s memorial is scheduled for Saturday, July 12, at River Terrace Park, 500 36th Street NE. Family, friends, and members of the LGBTQ+ community intend to celebrate her life and demand justice.
A $25,000 prize is given for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
