Cameron Thompson, 18yr old Black Trans Woman Shot to Death in Alabama

(December 20, 2024) - CBS42 in Alabama reports that an 18yr old young Black Trans woman was found murdered on the 600 block of East 35th Avenue in Tuscaloosa, Alabama by the Tuscaloosa County Violent Crimes Unit on December 16th.

The victim, Cameron Thompson, who went by “Cam” was believed to have been shot just after midnight early Monday morning. She left her home late the night before but her mother contacted police the next day after returning from her night shift and discovering Cam’s purse and other items were still in her room. The family was unable to reach her by phone and became concerned. Upon contacting police, Cam’s mother was informed about the deceased person that had been discovered in a yard near the street with a GSW and her mother identified her.

The family is supportive and devastated by the sudden and unexpected loss of their loved one. Her family fully considers this a hate crime and has pushed law enforcement to charge it as such. According to police, the victim and suspect knew each other and the crime was likely motivated by the victim’s social media posts about the suspects sexuality. The suspect has been arrested and charged as an adult but their information has not been released because they are a minor.

Cam is described as a “sweetheart” who worked at UPS, recently graduated JobCorps and was working towards going to college and buying herself a car. The family has started a GOFUNDME to help pay for her funeral expenses.

In Alabama, the guidelines of a Hate Crime have not been extended to include gender identity or sexual orientation. Federal hate crime laws however, do include sexual orientation, gender, and gender identity. Blaque/OUT Magazine’s T.R.A.I.I. (Trans Remembrance Archive & Information Index ) reports at least 33 murders of Trans, Non-Binary and Gender Non-Conforming individuals in the United States alone. That number should always be prefaced with “at least” because so many victims go misgendered, deadnamed and unknown that the true number will never be known. In 2024, 23 out of 33 of those people were Black. 20 of 33 were Black Trans Women.

To learn more about their stories and view interactive maps that illustrate where these murders were committed, visit the T.R.A.I.I.