Kayden Clarke, a 24-year-old transgender man, was shot and killed in his home by local police on Thursday, February 4th, in Mesa, Arizona. According to Det. Esteban Flores of the Mesa Police Department, two local officers were sent to Kayden’s home after friends reported that he threatened to commit suicide in emails and text messages. The police allege that after entering his home, Kayden lunged towards them with a knife, which led the police to use firearms. The two officers, unidentified, are now on administrative leave while Mesa detectives investigate the shooting. They did not have body cameras on, and the police refused to disclose how many shots were fired.

Kayden used his YouTube channel to talk about his gender transition and living with Asperger’s, including the roadblocks and discrimination he faced while trying to access transition-related care. The National LGBTQ Task Force, along with several disability and LGBT advocacy organizations, released a statement asserting that, “Autistic people’s gender identities are real and must be respected; there is absolutely no excuse for barring transition based on the informed consent of an Autistic individual.” The statement also notes that this is not the first time that police officers have used lethal force against a person experiencing a mental health crisis, and that more needs to be done to prevent this from happening. The National Center for Transgender Equality also released a statement, saying, “This killing seems to fit a pattern of excessive force against people who are transgender, face mental health crises, or have disabilities, and underscores a deep need for police reform and accountability.”

The police and many media outlets have repeatedly mis-gendered Kayden, identifying him by his birth name and the wrong pronouns. Unfortunately, this scenario is common for transgender people who are victims of violence, and GLAAD has created a guide specifically for journalists reporting on such incidents. Earlier this year, media outlets misgendered two other transgender people who were murdered, Monica Loera in Texas and F. Hilario in Brazil. GLAAD is reaching out to the Associated Press and other media outlets to urge them to correct their stories and accurately idenfiy Kayden.