Gay teen shot dead while dressed as woman in Fort Lauderdale

By Brian Haas and Sofia Santana

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

February 23, 2008

FORT LAUDERDALE

The shooting death of a gay teenage boy who was dressed in women's clothing is being investigated as a possible hate crime, while detectives try to determine whether he was targeted because of his sexual orientation.

Simmie Williams Jr., 17, was attacked on the 1000 block of Sistrunk Boulevard by two young men who wore dark clothing and might live in the neighborhood, police said. Williams, who was wearing a dress and was known in the area by his first name or as "Chris" or "Beyonce," was shot about 12:45 a.m. Friday and soon afterward died at Broward General Medical Center, police said.It's unclear what Williams was doing in the area, about four miles from his house, but police are investigating whether he was working as a prostitute, officials said.

Williams' mother said her son was openly gay, but she didn't know what he did when he went out at night, and she didn't know he wore women's clothes.

"I gave him $2 for the bus and he never came back," said Denise King, who lived with her son west of Fort Lauderdale. "He was a quiet person, kept to himself. He had a lot of friends. He wasn't a troubled child. He was a happy person."

At the same time, being black, gay and dressing in women's clothing made Williams "a minority within a minority within a minority," said Grant Lynn Ford, dean of Sunshine Cathedral in Fort Lauderdale, a church that ministers to gays, lesbians and their families.

Sometimes people picked on Williams, but he knew how to brush it off, his mother said.

Williams had signed up Wednesday for Job Corps, a federal government program designed to teach students vocational skills. He planned to get his GED and then go to culinary school, his mother said.

"That's what he really wanted to do. That's all he talked about," said King. "He spent the whole day with me yesterday, played with his nephew and cooked dinner."

Then he left the house Thursday night to go to Sistrunk, where the family lived at one point, she said. A few hours later, he was dead.

"We're looking into the possibility of a hate crime. There were some words exchanged prior to the shooting," said Detective Katherine Collins, spokeswoman for Fort Lauderdale police. She would not elaborate on what was said before Williams was killed.

Any case where investigators or prosecutors determine that a victim was targeted based on race, color, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, mental or physical disability or advanced age can be deemed a hate crime. The label adds extra time to criminal sentences, upon conviction.

The corner where Williams was found is a popular hang-out for transgender prostitutes, police and residents said.

Sharia Ranson said she has noticed them from her home in the Oak Park apartments at Sistrunk Boulevard and Northwest 10th Avenue, where she has lived for two years.

Wearing dresses and makeup, they often stood in groups of three to five, Ranson said.

However, they are usually older than Williams, police said.

"Most of the time you see adults," said Detective Brice Brittenum, Fort Lauderdale police liaison to the gay and lesbian community.

In January 2003, about a half mile from where Williams was shot, a transgender prostitute was killed in the 500 block of Northwest 21st Avenue.

Timothy Broadus, 21, who also went by "Cinnamon" and wore women's clothing and a blond wig, was shot several times by a driver he had approached, police said at the time.

The case remains unsolved.

Anyone with information on Williams' death is asked to call Detective Mark Breen at 954-828-5708 or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477).