BALTIMORE — Family, friends and members of Baltimore’s LGBTQ+ community are mourning Sophie Lee, a 27-year-old transgender woman who was fatally shot in Baltimore in the early morning hours of Sept. 11.
Baltimore police said Lee was found suffering from gunshot wounds at about 1:15 a.m. in the Barclay/Charles Village area of the city. She died at the scene. Authorities continue to investigate the shooting and, as of the latest reporting I found, had not announced an arrest or publicly established a motive. Police have also said it remains unclear whether Lee’s gender identity played a role in her killing.
Lee was born July 10, 1999, in Baltimore and was 27 when she died, according to her funeral-home obituary.
But those who knew Lee have emphasized that her life should not be defined by the circumstances of her death.
Her mother remembered her as a kind, joyful person who loved laughing, dancing and having a good time. Lee was also part of Baltimore’s ballroom community, where she had connections with several houses and had reportedly been recognized as “Best New Overall Mother” earlier this year.
Baltimore Safe Haven, a Black- and trans-led organization providing housing, health and other supportive services to LGBTQ+ people, identified Lee publicly following her death. She had previously been a client of the organization and was also a friend to members of its staff.
On Sept. 13, nearly 100 people gathered near the location where Lee was found for a candlelight vigil organized by Baltimore Safe Haven. Her mother, Denise Johnson, told The Baltimore Banner that she had expected to spend that Sunday eating crabs at a park with her daughter. Instead, she found herself surrounded by people who had come to remember Lee and support her family.
Baltimore Safe Haven CEO Iya Dammons urged the public to remember Lee as a whole person rather than simply another victim of violence.
“Sophie was more than what happened to her. She was a person. She was loved. She mattered,” Dammons said.
The organization also raised money to help Lee’s family with burial expenses. At the vigil, Dammons presented her mother with financial assistance generated through the fundraiser.
Lee’s death came less than three months after another Black transgender woman, 38-year-old Asia Williams, was fatally shot in Baltimore in June. Advocacy organizations have pointed to the deaths as part of broader concerns about violence affecting transgender people, particularly Black transgender women.
For Lee’s family, however, the focus remains intensely personal. Her mother told reporters she wants answers and justice for her daughter, while friends and members of the ballroom and LGBTQ+ communities have continued sharing memories of the woman they knew.
Baltimore homicide detectives are asking anyone with information about Lee’s killing to contact police at 410-396-2100 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP.
Her funeral is scheduled for Oct. 3 at Wylie Funeral Home in Baltimor
