The body of Dejanay Stanton was found by police on Chicago ' s South Side at around 12:30 PM after people nearby reported hearing gunshots. Stanton had suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

According to Dawn Valenti, a crisis responder with Chicago Survivors, Stanton was originally listed as Jane Doe In the original police reporting. She was later identified at around 6:00 PM after the news of the shooting had circulated on social media.

Friend and Activist LaSaia Wade, the executive director of Brave Space Alliance, had posted the news on Facebook. " So we lost another sister here in Chicago. Sending her family and loved ones peace and justice! Rest in power, Dejanay Stanton. "

" She was so sweet. Every time you saw her she had a smile on her face, " Wade had also told the Windy City Times. " She was just trying to live her best life as a young girl. "

A balloon release is being held later today at the 40th and King Street alley where Stanton was killed at 7:30 PM.

Stanton becomes the 17th transgender person to be murdered in the United States in 2018.

Photo: Facebook

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Rest in Power Dejanay Stanton!