In the summer of 2024, just days before her 31st birthday, Shannon Boswell, a Black transgender woman, was found dead in Stone Mountain, Georgia. The initial call to DeKalb County police on the night of July 2nd reported a hit-and-run on North Hairston Road and Trace Terrace. When officers arrived, they found Boswell's body in the street, and the scene was initially treated as a fatal traffic accident.
However, Boswell's friends and boyfriend immediately began contacting her mother, Tammy Boswell, telling her that Shannon had been shot. Armed with this information, Tammy repeatedly called the police, but her pleas were initially dismissed. It wasn't until the DeKalb County medical examiner conducted an autopsy that the truth was uncovered: Shannon Boswell had sustained a gunshot wound. The revelation transformed the investigation from a tragic accident into a homicide. A nearby resident later recalled hearing a gunshot followed moments later by a sound consistent with a car crash.
Described by loved ones as a 'very sweet person' and the 'light of the party,' Shannon's death sent shockwaves through her community. Her mother lamented that her child was 'shot and then left in the street like a deer.' The initial misgendering of Boswell in some reports further compounded the family's pain, with her mother having to correct media outlets to ensure her daughter was respectfully and accurately identified.
As of a year after her death, the investigation into Shannon Boswell's murder remains ongoing. DeKalb County police have not publicly identified any suspects or made any arrests. The lack of progress has been a source of deep frustration for her family, who have voiced their concerns about the pace of the investigation and what they perceive as a lack of communication from detectives. They continue to seek answers and justice for Shannon, remembering her as a very loved individual whose life was tragically cut short.
