Kansas City woman's death is 17th reported transgender murder this year

A transgender woman was found dead early on Saturday morning after being run over by a black SUV in a parking lot behind a church in Kansas City, Missouri, it has emerged.

Tamara Dominguez, 36, was the 17th transgender woman reported murdered in the US this year, and her death was the fourth killing brought to light in the past week.

Police say that Dominguez was seen exiting the SUV around 3am on 15 August before she was hit by the driver of the vehicle, who then ran over her two more times.

A witness called 911, according to police, and reported an injured pedestrian.

When police arrived on the scene, Dominguez’s body was sprawled across the pavement and she was rushed to a nearby hospital.

She was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

The investigation is ongoing, and officials say it is too early to suggest a motive. But they have not ruled out that it may have been a hate crime.

“As with any other investigation,” Sergeant Kari Thompson of the Kansas City police department told the Guardian, “if it determines that the act fits the definition of a hate crime, we will class it accordingly.

“We have not confirmed the lifestyle of the victim in this matter,” Thompson continued, referring to Dominguez’s gender identity.

No arrests had been made at the time of reporting.

As the investigation continues, Dominguez’s family has launched a GoFundMe page to raise money to cover funeral costs and send her body back to her family in Mexico.

Kansas City, Missouri, has seen a rash of violence specifically targeting LGBT people in recent years, with Dominguez’s death marking the eighth LGBT homicide in the city since 2010, according to Kansas City Anti-Violence Project reports.

The community and agencies working closely with her family see Dominguez’s death as part of a national epidemic that the transgender community is facing.

“The murder of trans women, particularly trans women of color, is a real epidemic facing our nation,” executive director of KCAVP, Justin Shaw, told the Guardian. “We demand immediate attention on both local and national levels to end this violence.”

Last year, the Guardian covered the death of Dionte Greene on 31 October 2014, which community members and his family believed was hate-motivated due to Greene being gay.

Two men were recently charged with second-degree murder, among other charges, in connection with Greene’s murder and currently await trial.

In the wake of the tragedy, KCAVP began hosting a series of town halls and community meetings with law enforcement.

“After the murder of Dionte Greene and our LGBTQ town halls, it’s become increasingly apparent that LGBTQ people are grieving from multiple acts of violence and trauma that have impacted Kansas City this past year,” Randall Jenson, youth and outreach coordinator of KCAVP, told the Guardian.

“Tamara’s brutal murder has sent a ripple effect of fear across the city as many trans women of color and transgender people are expressing concerns over their physical and emotional safety.”

Earlier this year, the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, a partner of KCAVP, released a report stating that LGBT homicides rose by 11% in 2014.

With Dominguez’s death, the US is averaging at least one transgender homicide every two weeks.