Young Transgender Woman of Color Killed in Western Pennsylvania, Assailant Shot and Killed by Police
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Youth Congress mourns the death Chyna Carrillo, 24, in Lawrence County yesterday. The Pennsylvania State Police have released her name and a police report detailing more information this afternoon.
Yesterday morning, the New Wilmington Police Department responded to a disturbance at a residence in the small Western Pennsylvania town. The local police witnessed a male suspect, whose name has yet to be released, assaulting Chyna with a blunt object. When the assailant refused orders to stop attacking her, the officer shot and killed him. Chyna was immediately transported to a St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Youngstown, OH, which is approximately 20 miles from New Wilmington. She died from her injuries at the hospital.
Chyna is the first known trans person murdered in Pennsylvania in 2021. Recently last fall, Mia Green, a 29 year-old trans woman in Philadelphia, was murdered. There have been dozens of documented murders of transgender women in Pennsylvania over the past several decades. Violence against transgender women, and particularly Black and brown transgender women, are currently at epidemic levels across the United State and around the world.
Chyna was originally from Springdale, Arkansas, but had been living in New Wilmington. The Pennsylvania Youth Congress is aware that her family has been notified.
More information on this situation is expected soon. The Pennsylvania Youth Congress will amplify calls for support and information as they are made by police and her family.
The Pennsylvania Youth Congress extends heartfelt condolences to Chyna’s family and dear friends, and transgender individuals throughout the commonwealth.
Photo: From Chyna Carillo’s family
###
The Pennsylvania Youth Congress advances freedom and justice for young LGBT Pennsylvanians through advocating for responsible public policy. As a youth-led organization, PYC represents citizens working toward safer schools and thriving communities across the commonwealth.
Update 3:33pm
From her aunt: “That’s her 21st bday. She was so full of love and light.”
