Lesbian Shot in Broad Daylight in North Philly

Philadelphia Gay News reports that a local lesbian woman was shot and killed in broad daylight this week in North Philadelphia. More:

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Kim Jones, 56, was shot in the head at 9:30 a.m. while she was standing on the corner of 12th and Jefferson streets near Temple University, waiting to take the bus to work, police said.

The gunman came up behind Jones, who was wearing headphones, and shot her point-blank in the back of the head.

Investigators believe Jones was targeted, but a motive had not been announced as of presstime.

“She had her purse, she had her cellphone, she had jewelry on, none of which was taken, none of which was disturbed,” said Homicide Capt. James Clark in a press conference Tuesday.

Officer Tanya Little, a police spokesperson, said investigators are aware that Jones, who married her partner last month, was a lesbian, and do not yet know if that could have played a role in her killing.

“Investigators have not ruled out anything at this point,” Little said.

I reached out to Public Affairs, who told me that they have no leads at the moment, but the “investigation is “very active.” I asked if they were looking at it as a hate crime, but the officer told me that she doesn’t believe that’s the direction they’re going toward.

The gunman is described as a heavyset African American male, who was wearing black clothing and carrying a black duffel bag. Police are looking at surveillance video from the area, and they are offering a $20,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.

If you have information, call 215-686-TIPS, or ring the homicide unit directly at 215-686-3334.