Police in Burlington, Vermont are investigating the death of a transgender man as a possible hate crime. Amos Beede was found lying on the ground of a homeless encampment the morning of May 22, the apparent victim of an attack that left him with head trauma, facial fractures, and broken ribs.
According to a police report, Beede was initially expected to quickly recover from his injuries, but his condition deteriorated and he died Sunday at the University of Vermont Medical Center.
Chief of Police Brandon del Pozo said in a statement Sunday that Beede's gender identity did not appear to be the primary motivation for the attack, but the department "has not ruled out the victim's transgender status as a possible additional motive" and "will continue to view this homicide as a possible bias incident."
Police don't believe this was a random crime and have identified two persons of interest, whom they claim knew Beede.
Amos Beede is at least the eleventh transgender person violently murdered this year in the U.S. While the majority of transphobic violence is directed towards trans women, the transgender population as a whole faces higher instances of bias-based violence, as well as homelessness, unemployment, lack of healthcare, and myriad other issues--the latest and most insistent caused by so-called "bathroom bills" that seek to deny trans individuals access to public facilities that match their gender identity.
Last week, 11 states filed suit against the Obama Administration over guidelines protecting trans students.