Members of Atlanta’s LGBTQ community are currently mourning the death of Nino Fortson.
Nino Fortson was a gender nonconforming member of the Atlanta LGBTQ ballroom scene and was referred to as either Nino Fortson, Nino Starr, or Nino Blahnik.
Kamaro Blahnik, the father of the House of Blahnik, shared the news that Fortson had died on Facebook with Fortson’s partner, named Tera, confirming.
Atlanta police are currently investigating Fortson’s death as a “death investigation” and are incorporating the LGBT liaisons.
“Our preliminary investigation did not in any way indicate that this individual identified as transgender. And we have no evidence at all that such an identification played any role in this death,” Officer D.T. Hannah said to Project Q Atlanta.
“But given the issues that are being raised publicly, we have engaged our LGBT liaisons and asked them to work with our homicide unit to see if there’s some angles that need to be explored.”
So far, the authorities have been able to collect a witness’s account of Fortson’s death.
The witness says that they saw Fortson get shot near the intersection of Woods Drive and Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway around 2 am this past Sunday.
The witness says they saw Fortson arguing with two men and two women. When Fortson pulled out a gun and shot it into the air, the witness tried to flee the scene. It was then that the witness heard gunshots, turned around, and saw Fortson on the ground and one of the men limping way.
Fortson was later transported to Grandy Memorial Hospital before dying of their injuries.
Police are still on the lookout for the shooter(s) and are offering $2,000 for useful information.
