KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Friday night, Kansas City, Missouri, police responded to the death of a pedestrian in the 3200 block of Independence Avenue.
KCPD said the person died after being hit by at least one vehicle.
After the incident, friends identified the victim as 46-year-old Kita Bee, a transgender woman well-known in the community.
"She was very well loved in the streets," said Kris Wade, a friend of Kita.
Wade knew Kita for nearly two decades.
"Her passing was very, extremely, extremely traumatizing for her street family," Wade said. "And her real family, too, who she was very well loved by a sister and her mom."
Wade is the executive director of The Justice Project, a survivor peer organization that helps those who have been on the streets, abused and have experienced homelessness.
"We're guides to the way out," Wade said.
Kita and Wade first connected when Wade was working for another organization.
"... Eventually we founded The Justice Project and got started. She kept working with us, and we realized her situation was pretty desperate out there, like a lot of folks," Wade said. "And we've helped her over the years with housing and getting treatment and all kinds of things."
For those who didn't know Kita Bee, Wade said she was her authentic self through and through.
"24/7, 365 days a year, didn't matter where she was, what the circumstances were, what she was doing, she was going to be her authentic self," Wade said. "She was very resilient. She was a real survivor."
Wade said Kita was a sweet person who'd been through a lot.
"She had been shot, she'd been attacked numerous times," Wade said. "Had numerous illnesses, been in and out of the hospital over the years, and she always managed to come out on top."
Those close to Kita are hoping she and her family get justice.
"I just hope there's some sort of justice out there for her out of all of this and for her family, for her sister," Wade said.
Wade's message for others is to be kind because you may never know what someone is going through.
"Kita was her authentic self, and that didn't always please a lot of people, but I think people need to be more respectful of diversity of people that are different than them, don't think the way they do, don't look the way they do, don't dress the way they do," Wade said. "Be kind. Don't be so quick to judge. There's always things behind the surface that you may not be aware of."
While KSHB 41 is waiting to learn more as the investigation continues, some friends believe this incident may have been intentional.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, at least 32 transgender and gender-expansive people were killed due to violence last year — 84% were victims of color and 50% were Black transgender women.
Police have not confirmed Kita Bee's killing was intentional.
Kansas City-area advocacy groups continue to raise awareness about the issue of violence against the LGBTQ+ community.
Over the last five years, several transgender and gender non-conforming people have been murdered in the Kansas City area, including but not limited to:
- Amber Minor, who was shot and killed last Christmas Eve in Raytown.
- Aerrion Burnett, who was shot and killed in east Kansas City in 2020.
- Brianna Hill, who was shot and killed in 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri.
KSHB 41 has reached out to Kita's family and is working to speak with them later this week.
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