A man is accused of attacking a “transgender woman” with a sword inside a Pittsburgh hotel around 1:00 a.m. Thursday.
The incident happened inside the Wyndham Grand Hotel when the victim, a man reportedly living as a woman, was found bloody and calling for help, WTAE reported Friday.
Police officers made contact with the victim in the hotel’s lobby and found blood on the floor and walls of the fifth floor. The victim suffered a severe laceration to his hand and later went to the hospital on his own.
A witness told officials he, the victim, and the suspect were in the city for the Anthrocon Convention, which is “Pittsburgh’s Premier Furry Convention,” according to its website.
So-called “furries” appear to be people dressed as animals. “Join us for our annual convention every summer as we celebrate anthropomorphics, which are human-like animal characters, such as have fascinated mankind since the dawn of human imagination,” the website stated.
“We are a collection of artists, animators, writers, costumers, puppeteers, and just everyday fans who enjoy cartoon animals and their kin,” it continued.
The WTAE report detailed the case:
According to that witness, Jake O’Leary, 26, of Greensville, South Carolina, called them and asked them to come to Pittsburgh a day earlier than they planned originally and that they could stay overnight with him until their own hotel was ready.
The group gathered at a room at the Wyndham Grand and, after going to bed, O’Leary allegedly got up, grabbed a sword and began swinging it.
CBS News quoted victims as saying O’Leary “yelled something to the effect of ‘Allah does not approve,'” before swinging the sword:
As they all went to bed, O’Leary, according to victims yelled something to the effect of “Allah does not approve” and came back brandishing a sword. He began to swing the sword at the other occupants of the room, causing bodily harm.
One victim suffered a severe cut that split his right pinky finger to his ring finger which was over an inch and he also suffered tissue damage down to the bone. That victim was able to transport himself to the hospital.
The victim tried to shield himself but was hit several times, according to law enforcement. The suspect also suffered an injury to his face during the altercation. Officials later charged him with aggravated assault.
In 2021, a Missouri woman was arrested for allegedly killing her boyfriend with a sword on Christmas Eve. In 2023, a suspect with a sword was accused of cutting off a man’s hand in Riverside, California, Breitbart News reported.