Keith Lamayne Gaillard, 18, held on first-degree murder charges in the death of 25-year-old India Clarke after DNA evidence was found at the scene

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Authorities in Florida say a man has been charged with murder in the shooting death of a transgender woman.

The Hillsborough County sheriff’s office reported in a news release that 18-year-old Keith Lamayne Gaillard is being held on a first-degree murder charge in the death of 25-year-old India Clarke.

Clarke’s body was found 21 July in a Tampa park, and an autopsy later determined that she had been shot in the head and an arm.

Officials said Gaillard’s DNA was found under Clarke’s fingernails. Detectives also reported finding a condom with Gaillard’s DNA inside Clarke’s car, which was found nearby.

Gaillard is being held on $275,000 bail. He turned himself in on Wednesday morning after a warrant was issued.

It is unclear whether Gaillard has retained an attorney.

Clarke was the 10th documented trans person to have been killed so far in 2015. After her body was found, local media and police officials refused to use her preferred pronoun, calling her a “man in a dress”.

County spokesman Larry McKinnon said officials will not be categorizing Clarke as transgender.

“We are not going to categorize him as a transgender. We can just tell you he had women’s clothing on at the time,” McKinnon told BuzzFeed News. “What his lifestyle was prior to that we don’t know – whether he was a cross-dresser, we don’t know.”

In their announcement of Gaillard’s arrest this week, the Hillsborough sheriff’s office continued to use Clarke’s male birth name.

The Associated Press contributed to this report