Mother Arrested After Shooting, Killing Daughter and Trans Son

A mother in Pennsylvania shot and killed her daughter and teenaged transgender son before turning herself into police. According to a report in the Tribune-Review, Krisinda Ann Bright, 48, was arrested in Ambridge, Beaver County, after she called police saying that she had just killed her children, daughter Jasmin Cannady, 22, and her transgender son Jeffrey Bright, 16. Police said they found Bright waiting for them on the front porch of their home, caked in the blood of her dead children.

Police said Bright's first shot and killed Cannady Monday while her daughter was in bed. The mother then went downstair to kill her son, but the gun initially misfired.

"Please don't shoot," police reported Jeffrey said before Bright fixed the gun and shot him in the face. When she saw that he was still moving and alive, police said she shot him again.

Interim Ambridge Police Chief John DeLuca described the scene as "gruesome" and said officers had "no issue" arresting the Bright and holding her without bail on two counts of homicide.

According to LGBT Nation, Bright's cousin, Rebecca Styler, sent a statement to them which claimed Bright suffered from PTSD following time in the military and that "she doesn't even know what happened" to cause her to kill her children.

"We don't know what triggered her, and neither does she," said Skyler in the statement, claiming Bright "didn't come out of it until they were dead."

Skyler is certain the case is not a hate crime, saying Bright "is, was, and always WILL BE a staunch supporter of human rights for all people."

Jeffrey Bright, known as JJ to friends and family, realized he was transgender at the age of 11 and presented as male from that point. He went to PRISM of Beaver County for guidance in coming to terms with his gender and identity. The group has been devasted by the loss.

"JJ was a beautiful person with the biggest and brightest smile," PRISM, an outreach program for LGBTQ+ youth aged 13--25, posted to Facebook. "We will miss your laugh. We will miss your jokes. You will never be forgotten.

His sister Jasmine attended a summer program at PRISM. She was remembered as "a sweet, shy, and artistic soul" by the group.

Sadly, violence against the transgender community remains all too frequent. JJ is the 8th known transgender victim of violence so far in 2021. While 2020 was the most deadly ever for trans folks with 44 killings, 2021 is already on pace to eclipse that record high.

A GoFundMe page has been set up by PRISM to help defray memorial expenses for the Bright family.

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