UPDATED::Arizona Trans Man Shot and Killed By Police in His Own Home | Advocate.com

UPDATE::   Demonstrators take to the streets in protest for transgender man killed by police  

On Thursday night, demonstrators took to the Tucson streets in protest against police and police brutality in the wake of the killing of a transgender man at the hands of Mesa, Arizona police.

Last week, Kayden Clarke, 24, was shot and killed by police officers in his home when they were called in response to a possible suicidal woman, according to CNN. Clarke was in the process of transitioning from female to male and was also diagnosed with Asperger's and was believed to possibly have other mental health issues.

The night of his death, Clarke was shot and killed after lunging within 10 ft. of police. Both officers fired their weapons and killed Clarke, according to CNN reports.

Tonight, protesters took to the Ronstadt Transit Center on Congress Street to voice disapproval of the killing and police brutality. Many at the demonstration had hopes to send a message of acceptance of the transgender community and a society without law enforcement. 

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You may remember Clarke for, "headlines last year when he was featured on Huffington Post in a viral video with his service dog Samson. Clarke trained Samson to help him when he was suffering from the symptoms of Asperger syndrome. Clarke called these symptoms “melt-downs” and they involved attempts to harm himself by, for example, banging his head on walls or hitting himself."

I am quite sure more will be added to this saga as time goes on.

Two as yet unnamed Arizona police officers shot to death a 24-year-old transgender man in his own home on Thursday, according to a report from ABC 15 Arizona.

Kayden Clarke of Mesa, Arizona, is now the second trans person to have been killed this year. Monica Loera was the first.


Even after discovering that Clarke is a trans man, local news accounts still repeatedly misgender Clarke, identifying him as a “woman,” using his former female name, and referring to him with female pronouns.

Clarke suffered from Asperger syndrome, a form of autism in which otherwise intelligent people may lack social skills and suffer from a range of atypical behavior. According to videos on YouTube and posts on Facebook from friends that have since been deleted or marked private, Clarke also allegedly suffered a history of physical and sexual abuse as a child that left him with post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal ideation.

Arizona Trans Man Shot and Killed By Police in His Own Home | Advocate.com