On January 23, 2023, a devastating mass shooting occurred in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago, resulting in the deaths of Unique Banks, a 20-year-old Latinx transgender woman, and her mother, Alexsandra Olmo, 43. The incident took place around 1:40 p.m. in the 2900 block of East 78th Street, where two individuals, described as teens wearing ski masks and one in camouflage, kicked in the apartment door and demanded money before opening fire.
Unique Banks and her mother were fatally shot during this home invasion. In addition to their deaths, three other people were seriously wounded: Olmo’s boyfriend and two other transgender women. The survivors were hospitalized in critical condition.
The Chicago Police Department identified a 19-year-old suspect three days after the shooting, on January 26, 2023. The suspect was arrested after being identified in photo lineups as the person who forced his way into the apartment and shot the victims. However, prosecutors declined to press charges due to insufficient evidence, and the case was marked as a continuing investigation. The suspect was released from custody on January 29, 2023. He has two pending cases in Cook County court, one for residential burglary and another for domestic battery.
The investigation remains open and active, with the police seeking additional evidence before making a final charging decision. Unique Banks' father, Omar Burgos, who lives in Florida, expressed frustration and confusion over the lack of charges and the limited information provided by the authorities regarding the circumstances of the shooting.
Unique Banks was born and raised in Chicago and had a passion for makeup artistry and rap music. Her father had relocated to Florida when she was about 10 years old, and she remained in Chicago with her mother and siblings. The family had previously experienced a significant loss with the sudden death of one of Unique's siblings about 18 months prior to this incident.
The shooting has been highlighted as part of a broader issue of gun violence and violence against transgender and nonbinary individuals. Unique Banks' death marked the fourth violent killing of a transgender or nonbinary person in the United States in 2023, and she was the first Latina trans woman to be reported as a victim that year.
