Trans man drove himself to hospital & died there after being shot by unknown attacker

[Behind the Aegis]

25-year-old Mel Groves, a Black man, has become the 40th known transgender person to be murdered this year. The story of his final moments is both horrifying and heartbreaking.

An unknown attacker shot Groves in the upper body several times on October 11. Fatally injured, Groves then drove himself to Merit Health Central hospital in Jackson, Mississippi. There, he exited his car and then collapsed on the ground. Although doctors rushed him into emergency surgery, he died on the operating room table.

“Right now we’re in the process of trying to identify if the crime even occurred in Jackson,” Deputy Chief Deric Hearn told WAPT. Police are still searching for Groves’ suspected killer. The police and other media outlets initially deadnamed and misgendered Groves, but his friend, Hilliard Rashad Jones, has shared some memories of him, following his death.

Jones met Groves in middle school during a quiz competition. They graduated Murrah High School together, and Jones was one of the first people that Groves informed about his desire to transition, Jones said.

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