PHILADELPHIA (December 1, 2022) – District Attorney Larry Krasner joined leaders of the Philly LGBTQ+ community and family members of Shahere “Diamond” Jackson-McDonald in urging members of the public who have information about her murder last month to contact Philadelphia Police to help bring those responsible to justice.
Jackson-McDonald was found shot and killed in her mother’s apartment at the 400 block of Manheim Street in Germantown in the early morning hours of November 24, Thanksgiving Day. According to investigators, the door to the apartment was left open and there were no obvious signs of forced entry. Jackson McDonald was shot multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene.
Jackson-McDonald is the 35th transgender or gender-non-conforming person to be killed in an act of violence in the United States in 2022. Black trans women like Jackson-McDonald are victims of violence at disproportionately high rates.
“We are here today to honor a promising life that was violently ended by a person or persons that Philadelphia Police and our office are working tirelessly to bring to justice, so that they can be held accountable for this crime and are not able to cause any further harm to others. We are here to say her name: Diamond Jackson-McDonald,” DA Krasner said. “I urge anyone who has information that could lead to an arrest for Diamond’s murder to call 911 or submit a tip – which may be done anonymously — to the Philadelphia Police tip line: 215-686-TIPS (8477).”
“I just want the world to know that Diamond 💎 was my rock, my shoulder, my child whom I love with every inch of me of what I have left to give,” said Linda Jackson, Jackson-McDonald’s mother. “Whoever you are, you took away my gem, my Diamond, someone whom was all about her family and friends. You tore many hearts and we will not rest until we get justice. I will not sleep until you are caught. You may not have to answer to me now, but you will have to answer to God. You reap what you sow.”
“It is devastating and heart-wrenching as we mourn the loss of yet another member of our LGBTQ family, Shahere ‘Diamond’ Jackson-McDonald,” said Celena Morrison, Executive Director of the city’s Office of LGBT Affairs. “Violence against transgender people — especially our trans siblings of color — continues to be an epidemic in this country and it is unacceptable. My office is committed to ensuring that acts of discrimination, bigotry, and hatred are never tolerated in the city of Philadelphia, and we will not stop until all of us are safe and treated with respect and honor.”
Tatyana K. Woodard, Community Affairs Manager at the Mazzoni Center, said, “I met Diamond at a candlelight march I organized for Shantee Tucker, another Trans woman who was killed back in 2018. Tragically, here we are some years later at a press conference because she has now been murdered. I have no other choice but to wonder whether we — community advocates, City officials, and the Philadelphia Police Department — have done enough. The answer is we can do more! We all have an obligation to Transgender women, to the Transgender community as a whole.
Woodard continued, “Diamond makes the 35th violent killing of a transgender or gender non-conforming person in 2022. This epidemic of violence and murder against transgender women, especially transgender women of color, must end. We deserve the right to live, without the fear of thinking we won’t make it to see forty. We deserve to bury our parents and not have them bury us. We deserve to live to tell our stories to the next generation and not have them read about our lives in today’s newspaper. We deserve to live. So, as we add Diamond’s name to the list of Transgender women killed here in Philadelphia — Mia Green, Tamika Washington, Dominique ‘Rem’mie’ Fells, Stacy Lee, London Chanel, Nizha Morris, and Shantee Tucker — I want everyone to know they deserved to live a long and meaningful life.”
“There are too many Philadelphians who should be alive today. And that includes Shahere ‘Diamond’ Jackson-McDonald, who was violently taken from this world, like so many others, far too young,” said Councilmember Cindy Bass, who represents the Germantown section of the city. “But her case calls particular attention to a troubling trend: People in the transgender community being murdered at significantly higher rates. Violence and murder anywhere for any reason is absolutely unacceptable. I need anyone who knows anything about whoever committed this horrific crime to immediately contact Philadelphia Police and tell them who took Diamond’s life. I offer my sincerest condolences to her family and all who knew and loved her. Please. Let them see justice.”
Members of the public who have information that could lead to an arrest for the murder of Shahere “Diamond” Jackson-McDonald are urged to contact Philadelphia Police by calling 911 or 215-686-TIPS (8477).
CONTACT:Jane Roh, 215-686-8711, [email protected]
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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is the largest prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the nation. It serves the more than 1.5 million residents of the City and County of Philadelphia, employing 600 lawyers, detectives, and support staff. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for the prosecution of approximately 40,000 criminal cases annually. Learn more about the DAO by visiting PhillyDA.org.