Transgender Woman Severely Beaten In Denver, Police Looking For Attackers
DENVER (CBS4) - Investigators with the Denver Police Department are asking for the public's help to identify the suspect or suspects involved in an attack outside a LoDo bar that left a transgender woman with severe injuries.
"We're just out trying to live our lives and have fun with our peers, be with our friends, just live our lives and people just can't seem to see us that way," said Amber Nicole.
She says she was harassed as she was leaving a bar downtown just around 1:20 A.M. Sunday, April 28. Cell phone video shows Amber almost gets in the car to go home, but then she goes back toward the bar. You don't see the attack, only her friend helping her in to the car.
"That's when she realizes that the two of us are covered in blood because I was bleeding so much from the attack," recalled Amber.
Her friend drove Amber to the hospital, her mother, Juls Martinez, arrives a short time later.
"I was horrified to see my baby like that and all I could do was thank God that she was alive, but then I didn't even know if she would wake up," said Juls.
Amber's face and jaw were broken in several places. Nerve damage left the right side of her face partially paralyzed; doctors don't know if it will be permanent.
"Then I was just so angry because things were running through my head like how? Who? Why?!" Juls said.
When Amber sees others nearby in the video, she wonders why no one tried to help.
"There's so many people who can see an incident and stop it or do something about, or make a report about it, but nobody does and I don't understand why. It feels like it's because I'm different."
Police hope anyone who was at the Tavern Lodo Sunday morning and may have seen what happened will contact them. Juls begs anyone with information to call police.
"Just come forward, please, say something and don't allow these things to happen," she told CBS4's Joel Hillan.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help Amber with the medical costs associated with the attack.