A $50,000 reward for information in connection with the fatal shooting of a transgender woman in East Hollywood was announced Friday, in an effort to encourage anyone who may know the identity of her attackers to come forward.
Aniya Parker, 47, was murdered in what police described as a “robbery gone bad” Oct. 2, and her fatal shooting was caught on video from a nearby business’ surveillance camera.
After a struggle for her purse, she was shot in the head on Melrose Avenue near the 600 block of North Kenmore Avenue around 2:30 a.m.
Police also said they are looking for a companion who was walking with Parker shortly before the altercation.
"We're searching for a witness who appears to have been walking with Aniya shortly before the crime," Capt. Brian Pratt.
Video showed the two would-be robbers walked in front of Parker and waited by a vehicle just before the struggle for her purse. The attackers are seen confronting Parker, shooting her and then running away.
Parker was taken to L.A. County-USC Medical Center, where she died in surgery.
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Parker had a "heart of gold," according to a GoFundMe donation page set up to help the family to transport Parker's body to Arkansas.
Her sister, Adrian, spoke of the family's grief Friday morning.
"I don't understand how... people could do such a mean and a cruel thing. And if I could say anything to you today it would be if you would just turn yourself in. Help us to bring closure to what is going on, we just want to know why. We just want to know why. We didn't get a chance to say goodbye," she said through tears, surrounded by family.
Police have said the attack appears to be random and not specifically targeting a transgender woman, although some LGBT community members said her killing is still of particular cause for conern.
"It's really, really frightening for all of us especially out here on the streets," Karina Samala said.
The attackers are described as two or three men in their mid-20s, LAPD said.
Toni Guinyard, Conan Nolan and Jonathan Lloyd contributed to this report.
