Mother of Righteous Torrence “TK” Hill Reveals Motive, Identifies Suspect in ATL Black Trans Murder

thegavoice.com:

In the days following the Feb. 28 shooting of Righteous Torrence “TK” Hill, 35, a well-known and beloved Atlanta LGBTQ salon owner, details surrounding what led an unnamed gunman to open fire, shooting Hill multiple times in the front entrance of his East Point home resulting in his death, were non-existent until now.

Hill’s gender identity as a trans man amid an epidemic of Black trans violence led to online speculation that anti-trans hatred may have played a role in his murder.

Hill’s mother, Verna Hill Wilcox, tells GLAAD the gunman murdered her son because of hate, “but it was not because he was transgender.” Wilcox also reveals the gunman’s identity, the victim’s cousin, Jaylen Hill, 22.

Wilcox says Jaylen was “floating” between his mother’s Atlanta and Hill’s East Point residences. “TK went out of his way to help him,” Wilcox said. “He bent over backward to help this child ever since he was in this world.” GLAAD spoke with Verna Hill Wilcox about her son TK and the tragic events that led up to his murder.