Family, friends say goodbye to trans woman from Mid-South killed in gay nightclub shooting

BATESVILLE, Miss. — Friends and family of a trans woman killed in a Colorado Gay nightclub said their final goodbyes on Tuesday in Batesville.

A funeral was held for Kelly Loving, who was one of five people killed when a gunman stormed the club just before midnight Nov. 19.

Friends described Loving as a person who not only wanted her friends to shine but also helped them shine. Loving’s sister, Tiffany Loving, said her sister used her body as a shield to help save a young man’s life during the shooting.

“When the guy came in shooting, Kelly went to turn to look and it (bullet) hit her and she covered, his name is Wyatt, she covered him up,” said Tiffany Loving.

Loving said that she recently got a chance to meet the young man and his parents at a fundraiser. Loving told Fox13 that she wanted to hate the man who committed the crime but said her God told her she has to love him.

The 22-year-old suspect was due in court Monday.

Prosecutors charged the alleged shooter with more than 300 counts, including 48 hate crimes. They charged him counts for each person known to be in the club at the time of the shooting.

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