Two men charged in robbery, shooting of transgender woman in Detroit

Two men accused of robbing and shooting a transgender woman in the Palmer Park neighborhood of Detroit last week were arraigned Monday on a variety of charges that could send them to prison for life.

Charles Marion Brown, 21, and Jujuan Alexon Williams, 19, were each held on a $1.5-million bond during their arraignment before 36th District Court Judge Laura Echartea. Their next scheduled court date is Nov. 28.

According to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, the incident occurred about 1:50 a.m. Friday when the victim was accosted by two men in the 17800 block of Woodward.

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The men, one armed with a semi-automatic rifle, exited a red GMC Yukon and told the victim to drop everything and run, police said. She dropped her purse and ran, at which point the man with the rifle fired five shots, three of which struck the victim in the back and arm, police said.

According to Worthy's office, Detroit police officers located the suspected getaway vehicle and a chase ensued. Williams was arrested after the car jumped a curb and stopped, while Brown escaped on foot. Police arrested him the following day.

Brown, identified by police as the gunman, is charged with assault with intent to commit murder, assault with intent to commit great bodily harm, armed robbery resulting in serious injury, armed robbery, fleeing and eluding, use of a firearm in connection with a felony, felon in possession of a firearm, and being a habitual offender – a second offense.

Williams is charged with armed robbery resulting in serious injury, armed robbery, use of a firearm in connection with a felony, felon in possession of a firearm, and being a habitual offender, fourth offense.

The victim has been hospitalized in stable condition. It's unclear if she was targeted because she is transgender or whether she was a random robbery victim.

The case was worked on in conjunction with Fair Michigan Justice Project, a non-profit announced in July 2016 that assists Michigan law enforcement officers and prosecutors in solving serious crimes against lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender persons.

Between 2011 and 2016 seven trans or gender non-conforming individuals were killed in Detroit. Of that number, all were last seen in the Palmer Park neighborhood where the latest victim was shot — an area on Woodward between Six and Seven Mile roads where many in the LGBTQ community congregate and which is also a known spot for johns to pick up transgender women.

"If someone wants to do something to a trans woman, it's unfortunate but they know they can go on any given day to Six Mile and Woodward and find any of them," said Julisa Abad, the transgender director of outreach and advocacy at the Fair Michigan Justice Project, who noted that all of the trans or gender-non-conforming individuals that were killed between 2011 and 2016 were involved in what she called survival sex work.

According to Abad, many transgender women turn to the streets to make money, because of discrimination and a lack of job opportunities. The very thing they're doing to survive, however, also puts them in the direct line of danger as walking targets.

"Trans sisters in our community know they can come to Six Mile and Woodward to make money, to survive, but we need to take away the issues forcing them there," she said, adding that the lifestyle is not something she and her trans sister dreamt of when they were teens beginning to come into their own and explore their gender identities.

"Nobody says, 'I want to wake up and be a prostitute, I want to wake up and do survival sex work.' It's just disheartening."

The arraignment comes on national Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day set aside to commemorate the lives of transgender men and women that have been lost to violence.