Brian Powers ("Eagle")
13 Jun 2020
Akron, Ohio (USA)
Shot
TDoR list ref: tgeu/13-Jun-2020/Brian “Egypt"" Powers
Brian was found dead on the sidewalk of a church near the University of Akron. He had been shot.
AKRON, Ohio — Nearly two months after the murder of a transgender man in Akron, police still have no leads.
In mid-June, Brian Powers was found dead from a gunshot wound on the sidewalk of a church near the University of Akron.
Nearly every waking moment, Vivian Powers-Smith said she thinks back to the last time she saw her little brother the week before he died.
“He was very proud of who he was,” Powers-Smith said. “Never ashamed of who he was and I think that’s a lot.”
Brian, who sometimes went by the name Egypt, confidently sported studded sunglasses and long, colorful braids.
“For anybody of the gay or transgender community to have to step out on faith and say, ‘Okay this is who I am,’ and there’s a lot of people who don’t like that,” Powers-Smith said. “But if that’s not what you agree with, then move on. Live your life. You don’t have to hurt somebody else because you don’t agree with their life.”
In March 2023 Bobby Lee Bell, 48, was arrested and charged in connection with Brian's murder.
The U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force and Akron Police Department arrested a 48-year-old man in connection to the shooting death of a man in 2020, according to a news release from Akron police.
Bobby Lee Bell is charged with the murder of Brian Powers, a transgender man News 5 reported on when this story first happened. Bell was located on South Arlington Street in Akron and taken into custody without incident, the release said.
Officers also recovered a gun and other evidence during the arrest.
https://www.advocate.com/crime/2020/7/28/three-more-trans-americans-have-become-homicide-victims
https://www.yahoo.com/news/killed-brian-powers-police-no-190054098.html
