Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

La’Daijah Walters was shot and killed in Mobile, Alabama

The Crime

WKRG reports:

Mobile police have confirmed a [person] was shot and killed the morning at [of June 22] Plantation Estates apartments. According to an MPD news release, the shooting happened around 6:35 a.m. inside an apartment unit at 5725 Old Pascagoula Road.

No information on a motive or suspect has been released.

Anyone with any information that could assist in the investigation of this case is asked to contact the Mobile Police Department at 251-208-7211. Alternatively, you can submit an anonymous tip by texting 844-251-0644 or by visiting mobilepd.org/crimetip.

Early media reports seem to have appropriately identified her as a woman, then updated to misgender her. It is astounding that a credible journalist or media outlet cannot put those facts together and expand their reporting outside of the binary. This once again forces those grieving her to have to advocate for accurate and fair reporting. It is an unfair burden.

Honoring La’Daijah

La’Daijah was 32 years old, She was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama where she attended Murphy High School.

Her socials reference the everyday things we take for granted such as going to see the Mortal Kombat movie, wish her brother a happy birthday, and lots of irreverent, fun memes and reels. She also shared experiences of anti-trans words and deeds that weave through her content, a thread that she intentionally wraps in her defiance, her joy, and her determination to live her authentic self.

She spent time in Houston, Pensacola, and Atlanta. She was enthusiastically alive, a vibrant presence to her friends and community.

It seems she had some ties to the ballroom community. She was also part of the Black Butterfly Collective.

Her name has been spelled La’Daijah (on her social accounts) but also Ladaijah, LaDayjah, and Ladasia by her loved ones.

Her friend Myah Turner posted a gut wrenching tribute on Facebook.

Because despite whatever distance existed, she was not a stranger to me.

She was someone I knew.

She was someone I cared about.

She was someone from our community.

This is our reality.This is the reality that Black and Brown transgender people live with every day. The fear that our lives are too often met with violence. The fear that our names will be remembered only after we are gone. The fear that our communities will once again gather to mourn someone we love instead of celebrating them while they are here.

Far too many Black transgender women have been taken from us. Far too many families, friends, and communities have had to carry this grief. We are tired of watching our people become statistics. We are tired of seeing our sisters become headlines.Today, we mourn. We grieve. We hold one another a little tighter.

Context

La’Daijah Walters is the 19th trans person whose death we have documented this year, 2026, in the United States.  I have memorialized 16 of them in the past 60 days. There two more reports to investigate.

 I laid out earlier why I think many deaths go unreported this year. Other researchers believe May was the most violent on record around the world.

La’Daijah is the twelfth trans person of color, the twelfth trans woman, the eleventh trans woman of color and the ninth Black trans woman. Those numbers might seem out of alignment, but remember that several of our reports describe individuals whose identity is either gender nonconforming or otherwise unknown. Younger generations are both using multiple identity labels and using none. The way we understand and describe gender identity is changing so sometimes the math doesn’t add up.

As long as one person is on this list, the math is not adding up.

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

Over the weekend, I wrote about Kalena Peaches Croskey. Alabama is a cruel state. We reported on these deaths in previous years: 2025 Kaitoria ‘Kai’ Le’Cynthia Bankz In 2024, Tayy Dior Thomas and Cam Thompson. From 2020, Bella Pugh. In 2019, Dana Martin and in 2016, Jazz Alford. In 2015, a 17-year-old named Mercedes Williamson was brutally murdered.

For three consecutive years, at least two trans people in Alabama have been killed or died under suspicious circumstances. That indicates things getting worse.

Rest in power, La’Daijah. We must work hard to ensure justice and accountability from the person who took your life. You deserve that final dignity. You made an impact in 32 years. It is our loss that we will never know what you would have done with the next 32. Thank you for the joy and realness you brought to this world.

May your memory be a revolution.

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.

Other Deaths

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

1. Daniella Analee Escobedo – Las Vegas, Nevada (unconfirmed), April 12, 2026. Age 34.
2. Name Unknown – Charlotte, North Carolina. Found on May 21, 2026. Date of death unknown. Age unknown.
3. Leia Trysiss Ali – Las Vegas, Nevada. May 24, 2026. Age 35.
4. Kalena ‘Peaches’ Croskey – Birmingham, Alabama. June 11, 2026. Age 35.