Tonya Kita Harvey, a 35-year-old transgender woman of color, was fatally shot on a dead-end street in Buffalo, New York, on the evening of February 6, 2018. She died from multiple gunshot wounds; her death was investigated as a potential hate crime and was one of the earliest transgender homicides reported in the United States that year. Known in Buffalo’s LGBTQ+ community as a talented performer and a loyal friend, her loss prompted rallies and vigils by family and community members demanding justice.

No arrests have been announced and no suspects have been publicly identified. A rumor circulated that Harvey may have been targeted after witnessing the nearby stabbing death of a man named Douglas Padre Johnson the same day; authorities have acknowledged the rumor but have not substantiated it as a motive. A reward was offered for information leading to an arrest, yet the case has since gone cold and remains unsolved.

If anyone knew Tonya, saw activity on that dead-end street on February 6, 2018, or has information about either killing, please come forward to help her family find answers.