LGBT group urges investigation into Reading police shooting

Transgender woman was shot 16 times in incident; now in critical, but stable condition

Enrique Castro, vice president of Reading Pride Celebration issued a statement Thursday following Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams’ announcement that police officers who shot a 29-year-old transgender woman in Reading were justified in their actions.

“Reading Pride Celebration stands firm in requesting that an in-depth investigation is made and that the appropriate training is given to police to ensure the proper de-escalation protocols are followed preventing this from happening again,” Castro said. “During the past year we have seen a nationwide increase in police’s use of excessive force, especially against the Black community and people of color. In our opinion, the 16 shots fired on Roxanne are an example of this.”

Reading Pride Celebration is an LGBTQ advocacy group.

The shooting in question involved Roxanne Moore, whose legal name is Lakim J. Miller-Nock.

Three police officers fired a total of 16 shots at Moore, more than one of which hit her, after responding to a report of shots fired in the 800 block of Franklin Street just after 7 a.m. Sept. 13.

Moore wielded a handgun during the incident, pointing it at police and refusing a police officer’s repeated orders to drop it, Adams said Wednesday. It was later discovered that the gun had a safety mechanism on it that made it impossible to fire, a fact police learned only after shooting Moore.

Moore is in Reading Hospital in critical but stable condition.

Castro’s statement said Reading Pride Celebration will push city police to be properly trained.

“We will keep working with the Reading Police Department and the City of Reading to demand appropriate training be provided to the officers, and hold them accountable to that,” he said. “While we do that, we will continue to pray for Roxanne’s recovery and advocate for her to face a fair trial and to receive the help she needed, which the system so far has failed to provide.”