On April 18, 2026, Lucas Ameh Avery Knapp — known to friends and family as Luca RedBeard — was shot and killed in the rural community of Candy Kitchen, New Mexico. He was 39 years old. He was walking his dogs when he heard a neighbor harassing another person. Lucas stepped in to help. That's when David Thomas Byington allegedly shot him in the chest. Byington is a transmasculine man. Byington is a convicted felon who, according to court records, should not have had a gun at all.

According to his family's GoFundMe, officials are investigating this killing as a possible hate crime. We are asking the Cibola County Sheriff's Department and New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez to pursue that investigation fully — and to file hate crime charges if the evidence supports them.

This matters because of what allegedly happened before the shooting. According to friends and community members, David Thomas Byington and his wife had a documented history of anti-trans and anti-queer harassment in the area. The person they were confronting when Lucas intervened was allegedly living on nearby property with permission — but the Byingtons reportedly took issue with that person's presence anyway. They brought a gun to that confrontation. Lucas brought a walking stick and his dogs. When Lucas stepped in to defend someone being harassed, Byington allegedly shot him. Then the Byingtons fled with the weapon.

New Mexico's hate crime law allows for enhanced charges when a crime is motivated in whole or in part by a victim's gender identity. The GoFundMe set up by Lucas's mother describes him as "the least deserving of such a cold and untimely end" and states plainly: "No one should lose their life simply for being who they are." We agree. A thorough hate crime investigation is not just about justice for Lucas — it sends a message to every trans and queer person living in rural New Mexico that their lives matter and that violence against them will be treated with the full weight of the law.

Lucas founded Misfit Kitchen Gardens, an educational farm dedicated to food justice and land stewardship. He was, in the words of those who loved him, "a chef, a poet, an adventurer, a musician, a farmer, and a healer." He showed up for people. He showed up for a stranger being harassed, and it cost him his life. The least we can do is show up for him now.

We urge the Cibola County Sheriff's Department and Attorney General Raúl Torrez to investigate the killing of Lucas Knapp as a hate crime and pursue all available charges under New Mexico law.