A brutal attack on two transgender women in the Washington D.C. area has left one dead and a second seriously injured, gay weekly the Washington Blade reported.

Twenty-one year old Tyli'a “NaNa Boo” Mack, also known as Joshua Mack, and a second unidentified transgender woman were stabbed Wednesday afternoon in the 200 block of Q Street N.W.

Mack was taken to Howard University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 3:02PM, police said. The second victim is in stable condition but remains hospitalized.

Police have tentatively classified the case as a potential hate crime, according to a release issued by the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit (GLLU) of the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.

“This determination is based on some information obtained during the early stages of the investigation that indicated some homophobic language may have been used during the attack,” the group said.

The women were on route to the offices of Transgender Health Empowerment (THE), a transgender support center, according to a THE client who spoke with the surviving victim on Thursday. The pair were approached by a man, who had been walking with a woman, at the Giant Supermarket located on Eighth Street N.W. Mack and the man began an argument at the supermarket that continued as the women continued walking towards the THE offices. The argument escalated into a fight after the pair hiked about a mile, or 10 blocks, and the man stabbed both women, the THE client said.

Anthony Hall, executive director of THE, said he was “appalled, sickened and saddened” over the double stabbing.

“As members of the transgender community, we are too well aware of the mental and physical effects of threats and violence,” Hall said in a statement. “The violent attack on August 26 is one in a long string of violence against transgender people the Metro D.C. area.”

District police are offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the crime.