MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Family and friends of a Memphis drag entertainer gathered in honor of a lost loved one.
The benefit held at Dru’s Bar was to raise money for funeral expenses for Kodie Lewis, 22, after someone murdered them.
Lewis’ family said their loved one was found shot to death inside an abandoned apartment near Ketchum Road and Pendleton Road on Dec. 13, at approximately 1:30 a.m.
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The mother said they last spoke to Lewis around 5 p.m., on Dec. 12.
Lewis’s family said their loved one identified as non-binary.
Police have not said what led up to the murder.
Lewis’ family is looking for answers.
On Dec. 18, various drag entertainers performed and said all tips received during the performances would be donated to Lewis’ family.
“Kodie was full of energy and such a bright in the room, even for the brief moment that I was able to spend time with them, but it was very hard to hear of their loss of life … The risk that comes with living is to be open because you don’t know what other people are capable of and it shouldn’t be that way, but that is the society we live in. So the best thing we can do moving forward is look out for each other, but also educate others too, as well as, to increase their culture and humility so they can spread that message to others,” said Phillis Lewis, CEO of Love Doesn’t Hurt, an organization which provides crises intervention for victims of crime in the LGBTQ Plus community.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for anyone to wishes to donate funds toward Lewis’ funeral costs.
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