On the afternoon of July 16, a Black trans woman survived what’s being described as a brutal anti-trans hate crime outside the Giant Eagle at Edgewood Towne Center. According to a statement from Sisters PGH, a local nonprofit serving Black and Brown trans communities, the woman, who is a resident of their housing program, was targeted by a man wielding a knife who screamed slurs and chased her through the parking lot in broad daylight.
The accused attacker, identified by police as Darryl Dunn, was arrested at the scene and is currently held at Allegheny County Jail. He has been charged with terroristic threats and ethnic intimidation, Pennsylvania’s formal hate crime statute.
But for Sisters PGH and the survivor herself, those charges don’t go far enough.
“He chased her across a parking lot with a knife. He threatened to kill her. This wasn’t just a hate-fueled outburst; this was an attempted murder,” said Ciora Thomas, Founder and Executive Director of Sisters PGH. “And it needs to be prosecuted as such.”
The survivor, who has asked to remain unnamed for her safety, shared her account through Sisters PGH. She had been waiting outside for a plasma donation appointment when she was approached and harassed with anti-trans slurs.
“He said something like ‘weird-ass bitch’… then he pulled a knife and said, ‘Bitch, I’ll fucking kill you.’”
As she fled and called 911, Dunn allegedly chased her across the lot. Though she escaped physically unharmed, the emotional and psychological impact is severe.
“I thought I was going to die for existing,” she said. “People stood there filming me being hunted.”
Witnesses reportedly recorded the incident, but few intervened. Dunn was ultimately arrested after entering the Giant Eagle as though nothing had happened.
The attack has sent shockwaves through Pittsburgh’s trans community, with many pointing to a broader pattern of violence and public indifference toward Black trans women.
“Yes, a Black man did this. But that harm didn’t start with him,” said Thomas. “White supremacy, colonialism, and anti-Black patriarchy taught him to hate Black trans women. That doesn’t excuse him, but it names the system.”
She also criticized the public’s reaction during the incident. “People stood by. That silence, that filming instead of helping, is complicity.”
Sisters PGH is calling on the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office to escalate charges to attempted homicide, citing the clear threat to the survivor’s life and the use of a deadly weapon.
While Edgewood Police made the initial arrest, the case now rests with the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office for formal prosecution. Sisters PGH has pledged to keep the pressure on. They’re also providing emotional support, housing security, and direct aid to the survivor.
Sisters PGH is providing details on on their social media on how to make direct donations to the survivor.
