On January 23, 2023, Unique Banks, a 20-year-old Latinx transgender woman, and her mother, Alexsandra Olmo, 43, were killed in a daytime home invasion in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood. Around 1:40 p.m. two teens wearing ski masks — one in camouflage — allegedly kicked in the apartment door, demanded money and opened fire. Three other people were seriously wounded, including Olmo’s boyfriend and two other transgender women; the survivors were hospitalized in critical condition.

Chicago police identified and arrested a 19-year-old suspect on January 26 after photo lineups, but prosecutors declined to file charges for lack of sufficient evidence and released him on January 29 while the investigation remained active. The suspect has two pending Cook County cases for residential burglary and domestic battery. Unique’s father, Omar Burgos, who lives in Florida, publicly expressed frustration and confusion over the lack of charges and limited information from authorities.

Unique was born and raised in Chicago, lived with her mother and siblings, and was passionate about makeup artistry and rap music. The family had endured the sudden death of another sibling about 18 months earlier. This killing was reported as one of several violent incidents against transgender and nonbinary people early in 2023. If anyone knew Unique, her family, or has information about the shooting, please come forward to help the ongoing investigation.