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 It’s been less than two weeks since openly gay teen Lawrence King was shot dead in a California junior high school and already another gay teen has been murdered in what police are calling a possible hate crime. This time the tragedy has struck much closer to home…Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Police say that 17 year old Simmie Williams Jr. was attacked on the 1000 block of Sistrunk Boulevard by two young men, possibly residents of the neighborhood. Detectives are trying to determine whether Williams was targeted because of his sexual orientation. The teenager was wearing women’s clothing when he was shot dead around 12:30 a.m. Friday (February 22, 2008).
According to the teen’s mother, William’s was openly gay, but she didn’t know he wore women’s clothes. "He was a quiet person, kept to himself. He had a lot of friends. He wasn't a troubled child. He was a happy person,” said Denise King, who lived with her son in Fort Lauderdale. His mother said that her son was sometimes harassed because of his sexual identity but that Williams knew how to brush it off.
The last time King saw her son alive was Thursday night when she gave him $2 for bus fare. Williams told her he was meeting friends in his old neighborhood, the same area where he was later found dead. Police and residents describe the corner where Williams was found as a popular hang-out for transgender prostitutes Detective Katherine Collins, spokeswoman for Fort Lauderdale police, confirmed that gender issues may have played a part in the killing. "We're looking into the possibility of a hate crime. There were some words exchanged prior to the shooting," Collins told reporters. She refused to go into detail about what might have been said for Williams was shot. A case can be deemed a hate crime if prosecutors make the determination that a victim was targeted based on race, color, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, mental or physical disability or advanced age. A hate crime conviction adds extra time to a criminal sentence.
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