(WASHINGTON, DC) – Mayor Vincent C. Gray today strongly denounced recent violent crimes that appear to have targeted members of the District’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

“All crime is horrific and destructive to the fabric of our community, but especially violent behavior that targets people because of their ethnic background, sexual orientation, faith or other identifying characteristics,” Mayor Gray said. “These kinds of crimes are particularly insidious, because they are designed to instill fear in an entire community. This cannot and will not stand in the District of Columbia, where all of our residents have the right to walk the streets of our neighborhoods free of fear, regardless of their identities, beliefs or characteristics. The Metropolitan Police Department and I will not rest until the perpetrators of these brutal crimes are arrested, tried and safely locked away.”