Transgender woman is shot in Santa Ana

A transgender woman was shot early Friday by an unidentified suspect in Santa Ana.

The woman, described as being in her 20s or 30s by Santa Ana Police Department Cmdr. Jose Gonzalez, was at 1100 Harbor Blvd. when she was shot in the back.

After the shooting occurred, she walked to a nearby 76 gas station and called the police.

Gonzalez said the victim was not fully cooperating with the investigation, but that she was sent to a local hospital. Her injuries were not life threatening.

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“The report was taken, a preliminary investigation was conducted,” Gonzalez said. “However, given the information relayed by the victim, officers weren’t able to corroborate any of it.”

Gonzalez said there were officers in the area where the victim said she was shot, but the officers reported hearing no gunshots.

Santa Ana has previously been the location of other attacks on transgender people. In 1989, a transgender woman was killed in her fourth floor apartment.

A report released by the Human Rights Watch in March also stated that transgender women are held in indefinite solitary confinement in prison-like detention facilities.

A large number of transgender detainees are housed at the Santa Ana Jail. The report stated the detainees were mistreated by Santa Ana guards with invasive strip searches, lockdowns and inadequate medical and mental health services.

If any information is known about Friday’s shooting, contact the Santa Ana Police Department at (714) 245-8665 or the Orange County Crime Stoppers at (855) 847-6227.

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UPDATES:

1:24 p.m.: This story was updated with more details about assaults in Santa Ana.

This article was originally published at 10:55 a.m.