Boy, 12, opens fire on transgender woman in possible hate crime

ORLANDO, Fla. — A 12-year-old arrested in connection with a shooting in Orlando could soon be charged with a hate crime, Channel 9 has learned.

A 26-year-old transgender woman said she was chased down the street and shot at several times just before midnight Thursday, police said.

The woman, identified as Andrew West, told police that the child emptied the gun while firing, but missed every time.

Raw: Transgender woman believes shooting was hate crime (Graphic language)

Raw: Man chased, shot at in Orlando

West said the boy was on the phone and that she heard him say, "I'm going to kill this (expletive)," before opening fire.

She said she was running for her life but when she realized the shooter was out of bullets, she turned around and began chasing him.

"I was going to beat him if I would've caught him," she said.

Authorities said shell casings were found along the route where the incident happened.

The child was later identified as 12-year-old Joseph Smith. Smith lives with his grandmother, who said he got out of the house without her knowledge.

Smith's grandmother, who is disabled and has a hearing problem, said she is very upset. She said she did not hear the phone ring overnight when police said they called her.

The grandmother also told Channel 9 that Smith is being evaluated by mental health professionals.

Police said Smith was cooperative during the investigation, and a stolen firearm was recovered from nearby bushes.

He was arrested on charges of attempted murder and grand theft of a firearm, police said. He's expected to face a judge Saturday in juvenile court.

West was not injured, but she said it wasn’t the first time she had been shot it. In January 2014, she said someone opened fire, hitting her in the leg several times.

No arrests were made in the case, and she believes it was also a hate crime.

WFTV