Deeniquia (Dee Dee) Dodds was a transgender woman living in NE Washington, DC. She was shot in the neck on July 4. She was on life support at Prince George's Hospital Center until she died on Wednesday. Then DC police finally issued a press release Thursday morning.

The press release marked the first time D.C. police have publicly disclosed the victim had been shot 10 days earlier. The decision not to publicly disclose the shooting at the time it happened has raised concern among trans activists.

Similar to a police incident report prepared at the time of the shooting, the press release identifies the victim by her male birth name and doesn’t disclose that she was trans. However, unlike the incident report, the press release identifies an “AKA” name [Also Known As] for the victim as Deeniqua Dodds.

The police say they have no suspect, nor have they established a motive for the attack.

Trans activist Earline Budd, who was among those expressing concern that police had not issued a public announcement of the shooting until one day after Dodds died, initially told the Washington Blade the victim’s first name was Donita. Budd said she has been attempting to reach out to Dodds’ family members since she first learned of the shooting from a police source shortly after it occurred.

Budd disclosed on Thursday that she finally made contact with Dodds’ mother and other family members on Wednesday. She said the family members told her it was their decision to ask police not to publicly disclose that Dodds was a trans woman and that the shooting had occurred out of fear of possible reprisals from a killer who was still “on the loose,” Budd said.

According to Budd, after a lengthy conversation with her, the mother and family members are now comfortable with disclosing that Dodds was trans and had been living her life as a woman.

In her own press release issued Thursday, Budd announced that a vigil honoring Dodds and protesting what Budd calls the ongoing series of murders of transgender women in D.C. and throughout the nation, will be held on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at the courtyard next to the family’s home at 5355 Clay Terrace, N.E. The location is near the site where Dodds was shot.

The transgender community and other local LGBTQ organizations joins the Dodds family and friends in mourning this senseless loss. Ms. Dodds was a long-time consumer of several local agencies providing services to the transgender community and her murder reminds us all of how often the transgender community is targeted for violence in our society.

--Earline Budd

Community members and activists say that the police department’s failure to notify the transgender community makes it harder for them to stay safe and harbors distrust.

Dodds’ family said she was a sex worker and that they was were concerned for her safety. HIPS, a group that supports youth engaged in sex work, said that the failure to release a timely and accurate report puts the trans community as risk, especially since the shooter is still on the loose. They released a statement calling on DC police to issue an apology to the community.

MPD’s failure to publicly disclose information about Dodds’ case highlights a deeply troubling lack of concern for the lives of people who are transgender…

We believe that it is necessary for the MPD to work harder to ensure that individual officers are held accountable for actions that contribute to the marginalization and oppression of people in the LGBTQ+ community…

MPD should issue a formal apology for their negligence in handling Dodds’ case, as a small first step, to practice improved accountability. They should also work to develop ongoing training targeted toward trans-inclusivity.

--HIPS

Dee Dee was a beautiful person. She loved to make you laugh, loved to make you smile.

--Joeann Lewis, who raised her

We have no information to suggest the crime was motivated by hate, at this point.

--police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck

Dee Dee is believed to be the 15th transgender person murdered so far in 2016.