Anthony Torres, a beloved activist, performer, and DJ known in San Francisco as “Bubbles”, was brutally gunned down early Saturday morning outside of a nightclub in the city’s Tenderloin district.
“This is a hate crime,” said attorney Jim Reilly, who has previously represented Torres. “For a transgender activist to be gunned down on [his] own street shouldn’t stand and won’t stand.”
The Tenderloin has historically been a safe place for gay and transgender residents of The City. The neighborhood birthed one of the first riots for transgender rights at Compton’s Cafeteria in 1966. A historic gay bar called the Gangway is also on the block where Torres was shot.
Though his attorney initially referred to Torres as a transgender woman, friend and local DJ Buckner Williams said Torres identified as a gay man “who enjoyed wearing women’s clothing and makeup.”
“You always knew when Bubbles was in the room or in the building. He was larger than life but at the same time on a one-on-one level was one of the most dearest and compassionate people I knew,” Williams said. “If Bubbles came to your party, you knew it was a good f—ing party.”
The shooting happened at a round 3 am near Larkin and Myrtle. Six shots were fired by a tall Asian man with a medium build, according to witnesses. The man had left the New Century strip club before shooting Torres.
A preliminary report from San Francisco police said a 30-year-old female was shot around 2:50 a.m. near Larkin and Myrtle streets and pronounced dead at a hospital. A police spokesman could not confirm the identify of the victim or say why the age and sex did not fit with Torres, but said it was the city’s only homicide over the weekend…
No suspect information was available, and preliminary information did not indicate the homicide was a hate crime, police said. No further details about the shooting were immediately available Sunday.
Watch KRON’s report:
Vigil for Anthony Torres who went by #Bubbles happening now in #Tenderloin Where he was gunned down Saturday morning 3am pic.twitter.com/D85ByMLP1u
— Ella Sogomonian (@EllaSogomonian) September 11, 2017
