Philadelphia officials say the alleged attacker in Monday's deadly mass shooting is not transgender despite online photos that appear to show him wearing women's clothing.
Asa Khalif, who serves on the Philadelphia DA's LGBTQ advisory committee, condemned the "conservative press" for "nasty, violent" speculation surrounding Kimbrady Carricker's gender identity. Carricker, 40, is biologically male.
"The suspect has not identified themselves as trans. They have only identified themselves as male," Khalif told reporters Wednesday. "But the language spewed out by the conservative press is violent and is dangerous, and it’s targeting trans women of color. It’s rallying the community to be violent, and we’re better than that."
"There are certain pictures that are circulating. Some of you may be aware of those pictures [showing] the shooter in one picture as male and other pictures dressed in female attire. [Conservatives] have used those pictures to attack trans people and particularly trans women of color," he added.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., was among those speculating about Carricker's gender. She shared a report about the alleged attacker that included one of the photos and added the caption, "another trans shooter."
Other conservatives joined in adopting the conclusion that Carricker is transgender, including commentator Robby Starbuck.
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"Keep in mind that Democrats want you to let the trans Philadelphia mass shooter into the bathroom with your wife and daughters," he wrote above a report about Carricker's arrest.
Khalif did not offer an explanation for why Carricker shared pictures of himself in women's clothing, sticking only to the fact that he has "not identified themselves as trans."
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The Philadelphia DA's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why Khalif had used they/them pronouns for Carricker despite saying he identified as male.
DA Larry Krasner says Carriker arrived to the scene of the shooting ready for a prolonged gunfight. He had an AR-15 style rifle, a handgun, a scanner for monitoring police traffic and a ballistic vest.
Krasner said that despite Carriker's preparation, the attack was a "random, premeditated deliberate killing carried out with an assault rifle."
The five deceased victims are Daujan Brown, 15; Joseph Wamah, Jr., 31; Lashyd Merritt, 20; Dymir Stanton, 29; and Ralph Moralis, 59. Multiple children were also injured by the gunfire, including a 2-year-old who was shot four times in the legs.
