Community on edge following violent attacks that include the murders of two transgender women

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) -- Members of D.C.'s LGBT community are on edge after a series of violent, and even deadly, attacks.

The most recent happened Saturday evening when police say a man pulled into the parking lot of Casa Ruby - a northwest DC LGBT outreach center - and demanded sex from a transgender person before eventually brandishing a gun.

The incident comes shortly after two transgender women were killed nearby, one just last week and the other in March.

"They're getting very blunt. They're walking into spaces that traditionally, you know, they've never been," Casa Ruby Founder Ruby Corado said of the criminals.

Because of the incidents, Corado said she's spoken with DC's chief of police, she's brought in additional staff members, and she's also spoken with security experts about ways to keep the people who come to Casa Ruby safe.

"We can't prevent hate," she said, "but we certainly are going to be prepared."

Corado added that she wants accountability, saying that she believes these crimes are happening, at least in part, because people believe they can get away with it.

"We all want to live in neighborhoods that are safe, but we cannot claim that we live in safe neighborhoods when vulnerable people are being attacked, when vulnerable people are being threatened, when vulnerable people are being shot," Corado said.