Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

In mid-June, police from Grand Junction, Colorado fired 11 shots while trying to apprehend a 31-year-old white trans woman named Patti Wilson. Two of those bullets struck and killed her while she was fleeing in her vehicle.

At 6:30 PM, local law enforcement responded to a call from a Dairy Queen.

According to witnesses, the whole incident started when Wilson didn’t have enough money to pay for a large Cherry Coke. As it escalated, Wilson refused bystanders’ offers to buy her a Cherry Coke, and pulled a knife. An older man stepped in and began to hit Wilson with a chair. 

Two graphic videos taken inside Dairy Queen begin with an older man hitting Wilson with a chair and receiving a severe cut on his forearm while attempting to punch Wilson. Wilson is yelling, “Stay the fuck away from me,” and has a knife in her hand. Wilson then goes after the man, before leaving the store. 

Police responded and engaged Patti in the parking lot. She fled in her car, turning away from the police, shots were fired, and Patti ultimately died.

The man in the store did suffer a knife injury.

A recent story from the Colorado Time Recorder takes a deep dive into the erosion of mental health supports in the region, revealing a frightening trend that puts vulnerable people at much greater risk. At the same time, the journalist reviewed the policies on the use of lethal force, uncovering information that Patti may have been unfairly treated. That her death was unnecessary.

The Colorado Times Recorder examined the body cam footage and independent footage from bystanders, leading to a critical question – why did police fire into a moving vehicle towards civilians and busy traffic? Click on over to their reporting for more details on the incident and the formal police policies.

Police don’t typically fire into moving vehicles in traffic. That’s the stuff of Hollywood, not the provenance of a local cop who has fired their weapon maybe one time in their career. I’d suggest that the terror of ICE has loosened restraints on typical cops who feel empowered to behave with impunity – the so called ‘bad cops.’

The consensus seems to be that Patti was experiencing a mental health crisis. Transphobic bigots have since been indulging their own moral crisis by piling on any report of her death as concrete proof of each and every bit of disinformation they cling to as justification for their hatred.

Remembering Patti

Born and raised in Dixon, Illinois Patti graduated from Dixon High School. After high school, she relocated to Grand Junction, Colorado where she pursued her art and music.

Patti was a musician creating in the genre of “new American folk music.” She draw comics, painted, and wrote essays. She was well-versed in the distinction between anti-fascism and fascism, a line most people blur. She performed under the name ‘Patti Dracula.’

To be fair, Patti did express admiration for Joseph Stalin. I can’t tell if she’s being facetious or sincere. But that’s a deeply disturbing bit of content. She did say she was a Libertarian and a supporter of Ron Paul. People are complicated. That doesn’t make it okay for the police to kill them.

She had leftist political views, most recently advocating against flock-cameras and AI. Patti also identified as part of the LDS community and professed to serve.

According to those who knew her, Patti had long struggled with mental health. According to friends, she had recently left an abusive relationship. Additionally, like too many young trans people, she struggled through bouts of homelessness.

Context

Patti Wilson is the 26th person whose death we’ve memorialized in 2026. She is the 21st trans woman and the 8th white trans person. As of now, a trans person is killed in the US every 7.3 days.

Previous deaths reported from Colorado include Jax Braxton in 2025, an unknown person whose remains were found in 2024, Kelly Loving and Daniel Aston in 2022; and Jayne Thompson in 2020.

26 people are on this list. 16 of them are BIPOC trans siblings. 13 were Black, two were Latina, and one was Pasifika. Nine were white, the identity of one is unknown as of now. We talk a lot about disproportionate impact – here is the data.

Patti was victimized at least twice by public safety net resources that should have helped her manage her mental health, not killed her in the midst of a crisis.

I was struck by the memory of Renee Good who was shot by ICE agents while trying to follow instructions to drive away. Shot at point blank range. The callous disregard for both women is fueled by the unrelenting MAGA rhetoric distorting the facts and twisting the realities in this case of transgender identity.

It has been a field day for the ignorant.

To be absolutely clear, the situations of the two women were vastly different – Renee had done nothing wrong at all while Patti had assaulted someone. One was a cisgender lesbian, the other a trans woman. I’m not trying to draw that parallel.

What I do see in common is that both were women and that the men who killed them claimed they felt threatened. Video evidence disproves that claim, but again – armed agents shot women who they perceive or claimed didn’t comply. It is about women.

MAGA, ICE, The Heritage Foundation, and the Trump Administration want women to behave and to defer to men at all times. We can try to isolate incidents, but the tie that binds is so obvious. Right?

Of course, Patti has been misgendered and deadnamed and disrespected. Her life has no meaning for the hateful trolls who gleefully seize upon any opportunity to kick the most vulnerable in our society.

In the moments leading up to her death, the danger to the public was initiated by the police disregarding their own policies. With diminishing access to MH services for everyone and fewer tools to reign in the ‘bad cops’ – things look dire.

Patti’s mother set up a crowdfund to help with final expenses. This was created in June so I’m unsure if donations are still needed.

Rest in power, Patti. We failed you and you paid a terrible price. In spite of everything, you brought music and magic to the world around you. We can’t know what was happening in those final moments, why you rejected help, but it is fair to say that our unwellness to give you the help you needed for years was in the mix. I am so very sorry.

May you memory be a revolution

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Deaths reported in 2026

These individuals are part of the trans community including transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, and gender creative folx. Please do not share this content without attribution. Thank you

1. Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-Mccray – Petersburg, Virginia. March 13, 2026. Age 42.
2. Davonta Curtis – Chicago, Illinois. April 5, 2026. Age 32.
3. Dannielle Spillman – San Francisco, California. April 16, 2026. Age 74.
4. Aleanna Royal Belcher – Binghamton, New York. April 17, 2026. Age 31.
5. Lucas Redbeard Knapp – Candy Kitchen, Cibola County, New Mexico, April 18, 2026. Age 39.
6. Hailey Singleton – Dunnellton, Florida, May 5, 2026. Age 29.
7. Lanessa Rodriguez – Ft Pierce, Florida, April 28, 2026. Age 35.
8. Jade Roberts – Houston, Texas, January 2, 2026. Age 25.
9. Paris Harris – Dallas, Texas, April 17, 2026. Age 21.
10. Eryka Caldwell – New York, New York, May 17, 2026. Age 41.
11. Nathaniel Potts – Eldorado, Illinois, May 20, 2026. Age 16.
12. Persia Amarra Conway – Houston, Texas. Date unconfirmed. Found on May 26, 2026. Age 33.
13. Juniper Blessing – Seattle, Washington. May 8, 2026. Age 19.
14. Marlow Trottie – Alexandria, Louisiana. June 8, 2026. Age 35.
15. La’Daijah Walters – Mobile, Alabama. June 22, 2026. Age 32.
16. William ‘Ike’ Eickholt – Hastings, Minnesota. February 1, 2025. Age 74.
17. Kayonna Ankeny – Augusta, Georgia. February 5, 2023. Age 30.
18. Asia Williams – Baltimore, Maryland. June 23, 2026. Age 38.
19. Haley Brook Terry – Mobile, Alabama. April 6, 2025. Age 20.
20. Jayla McGee – Belle Glade, Florida (presumed). July 5, 2026. Age 19.
21. Cormac Robinson – Carrollton, Georgia. October 15, 2025. Age 24.
22. Patti Wilson – Grand Junction, Colorado. June 19, 2025. Age 31.

Other Deaths

We are following these cases, but cannot confirm the details right now.

Kalena ‘Peaches’ Croskey – Birmingham, Alabama. June 11, 2026. Age 35.

Daniella Analee Escobedo – Las Vegas, Nevada (unconfirmed), April 12, 2026. Age 34.

Name Unknown – Charlotte, North Carolina. Found on May 21, 2026. Date of death unknown. Age unknown.

Leia Trysiss Ali – Las Vegas, Nevada. May 24, 2026. Age 35.