LGBTQ+ community demanding justice after sex trafficking victim was shot by LAPD after calling for help
Sex trafficking victim shot by LAPD
Linda Moran was shot and killed by an LAPD officer after allegedly calling for help from a motel room that she said she was being held at.
Community demanding justice after trans woman shot by LAPD
A press conference was held Friday morning to demand justice and answers into the shooting death of Linda Becerra Moran, a victim of sex trafficking who called LAPD for help.
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, there is help available. Talk to highly trained anti-trafficking advocates at the National Human Trafficking Hotline by calling 1-888-373-7888, or by texting 233733.
LOS ANGELES – Legal action is being pursued against the City of Los Angeles for the shooting death of Linda Becerra Moran, a trans woman who was shot and killed by an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department.
On Friday morning, attorneys held a press conference demanding justice and answers. The event was also attended by Moran's family and LGBTQ+ activists.
The backstory:
According to the LAPD, on February 7, around 9:40 a.m., officers responded to a call of a possible kidnapping suspect at a motel located in the 10000 block of San Fernando Road in Pacoima.
Moran, who made the 911 call, said she was being held against her will at the motel.
Video from the scene shows officers entering the motel room where they encountered Moran. In a statement from the police department, they said Moran became agitated, armed herself with a knife, and held it to her neck.
The department said their officers repeatedly told Moran to drop the knife, but she refused and advanced toward officers. That's when an officer-involved shooting then occurred. The department said officers rendered aid and recovered the knife at the scene. She was then transported to a hospital.
Moran died on February 27, weeks after being on life support.
Bodycam video released
The police department released bodycam footage of their encounter with Moran.
The video shows officers inspecting her head as she said she was repeatedly hit with a bottle. She then tried to show officers marks on her body of where her abuser hit her. In the video, officers can be heard saying that she expressed suicidal ideations. The video then shows Moran walking to the kitchen area and telling officers to go away and doesn't want their help anymore.
The video then shows the group of about five officers exit the room and linger at the doorway. Moran then armed herself with a knife. An officer can be heard telling her to drop the knife, but she slowly walks forward and the officer's gun goes off. Moran was struck and fell on the bed.
Community speaks out
What they're saying:
During Friday’s press conference, members of the LGBTQ+ and Latino communities, along with Moran’s family, said she was a victim of sex trafficking and called 911 for help.
They said she was sexually and physically abused by her trafficker.
"She then told them in no uncertain terms, I don't feel too good. I feel a bit suicidal. I want to harm myself. She grabbed a knife and at no point, let us be clear, at no point did she ever threaten the officers with that knife. It was as clear as day that she was undergoing a mental health crisis. It was as clear as day that the only person that she was threatening was her own life because of this mental health crisis, because of the trauma that she was experiencing as a victim of sex trafficking," said Denisse Gastélum of Gastélum Law.
She went on to say that Moran’s killing was unjustified, and that Officer Jacob Sanchez didn’t follow proper training when dealing with a victim of sexual violence undergoing a mental health crisis.
"She was being sex trafficked when she called for help. She was met with more gender-based violence. They tortured, humiliated, and misgendered her before they murdered her, Soma Snakeoil, Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Sidewalk Project, stated. "This is the police response to survivors. This is the police response to sex workers. This is the police response to domestic violence survivors. They hurt us. They harm us."
Those who spoke at the press conference said the LAPD should have called a mental health team that would have been better equipped to handle the incident.
"She told them she was a survivor and instead of receiving that help, she was met with lethal force. This was not an accident. This is a direct consequence of a system that criminalizes survival. If any of the agencies standing here were the ones that would have been called, she would still be alive. We know that the safest communities don't have the most police, they have the most resources," stated Leigh LaChapelle with the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking.
Moving forward, they said they want to see more community-based solutions, so incidents like this don't happen again.
Legal action taken
What's next:
Gastélum said a government claim has been filed and within a month a federal civil rights action will be filed.
They plan to bring forth about 15 legal claims, both under state and federal law. These include wrongful death claims, violations of Moran's 4th and 14th Amendments, and damages attributed to pre-death pain and suffering, Gastélum explained.
They'll be asking for $100 million in damages.
Who is Linda Moran
Linda Moran is a trans woman who came to America a year ago from Ecuador. Officials said she was unhoused and working as a sex worker. Gastélum said she fled violence and came to America for a better life.
"So many people spoke so beautifully about her aspirations to be a cook one day, to have a kitchen with plants and to be able to cook raw food. Such a very simple dream, but a dream that people come traverse many, many countries to get here to America. Ultimately, she was being sex trafficked. Unfortunately, women, specifically women who are immigrants, had to do some sex trafficking to either pay back the individuals who brought them here or because there are just no options for them here," Gastélum said.
If you or a loved one is feeling distressed, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The crisis center provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.