LOS ANGELES, CA – Legal action is moving forward against the City of Los Angeles following the fatal police shooting of Linda Becerra Moran, a transgender woman and sex trafficking victim who called 911 for help. Advocates, attorneys, and grieving family members are demanding justice and systemic reforms after what they describe as a preventable killing that reflects deeper failures in how police interact with vulnerable populations, particularly members of the LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities.
On the morning of February 7, LAPD officers were dispatched to a motel on the 10000 block of San Fernando Road in Pacoima. The call had come from Moran herself. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, she reported being held against her will—later understood to be part of an ongoing pattern of abuse related to sex trafficking.
When officers entered the motel room, they encountered Moran in visible distress. Body camera footage released by the LAPD shows her telling officers she had been hit with a bottle and expressing suicidal ideations.
Moran, 38, reportedly attempted to show officers the marks on her body and indicated she no longer wanted their help. Officers then briefly exited the room, standing at the doorway. Moments later, Moran—still visibly upset—armed herself with a kitchen knife. According to police, she held the knife to her own neck and began walking toward the doorway.
Despite repeated commands to drop the weapon, an officer opened fire. Moran was struck and collapsed onto the bed. She was transported to a hospital in critical condition and placed on life support. She died on February 27, nearly three weeks later.
The officer who fired the fatal shot was later identified as Officer Jacob Sanchez. LAPD officials said he believed Moran posed a threat to the officers, although community leaders and legal advocates strongly dispute that assertion, arguing she never threatened anyone but herself. They point to the bodycam footage as evidence that she was in a mental health crisis and required psychological support, not lethal force.
At a press conference held Friday morning, attorneys representing Moran’s family, alongside LGBTQ+ and Latino community advocates, condemned the police response and called for systemic accountability.
Denisse Gastélum, a civil rights attorney representing the family, stated that Moran’s killing constituted an unjustified use of force and a failure of the LAPD to follow its own policies regarding mental health crises. “Linda told officers she didn’t feel good, that she felt suicidal. She never once threatened them. She was experiencing extreme trauma from being trafficked and abused, and instead of receiving protection, she was met with bullets,” Gastélum said.
Members of the community echoed the attorney’s sentiments. Soma Snakeoil, co-founder and executive director of The Sidewalk Project, described the shooting as emblematic of the broader mistreatment of marginalized groups by law enforcement. “She was being sex trafficked when she called for help. Instead of assistance, she was met with more gender-based violence. They tortured, humiliated, and misgendered her before they murdered her,” Snakeoil said.
Leigh LaChapelle, a representative from the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST), said the case underscored how law enforcement fails survivors of human trafficking, especially those from marginalized identities. “The safest communities don’t have the most police; they have the most resources. This was not an isolated failure — this is what happens when you criminalize survival.”
Legal action has already begun. Gastélum confirmed that a government claim has been filed, and the family plans to file a federal civil rights lawsuit seeking $100 million in damages. The forthcoming lawsuit will include roughly 15 legal claims under both state and federal statutes, including violations of Moran’s Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights, wrongful death, and damages related to her pain and suffering prior to death.
According to her attorneys and family, Moran came to the U.S. from Ecuador roughly a year ago in search of safety and opportunity. She was unhoused and had been working in the sex trade as a result of economic necessity and coercion. Gastélum said Moran dreamed of a peaceful life and aspired to become a cook. “She wanted a kitchen full of plants. That was her dream — a simple, quiet life. That dream ended in a motel room, with her calling for help and being met with fatal force.”
Community advocates are calling for sweeping changes to how law enforcement handles calls involving vulnerable individuals, including expanded access to mental health crisis teams, increased investment in non-police interventions, and mandatory training for officers on how to respond to victims of gender-based violence and trafficking.
Friday’s press conference concluded with a call for the city to take responsibility and prevent similar incidents in the future. “Linda’s death was not just a tragedy — it was a systemic failure,” said Gastélum. “And we are here to make sure that failure is never repeated.”
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or experiencing a crisis, contact the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or visit 988lifeline.org for free, confidential support available 24/7.
