Haines City, Florida police still do not have any leads in the shooting death of Jamaican-born female impersonator Shavon Marlon Shawn, 32.
Shawn, a popular drag queen in Haines City who performed under the stage name Mercedes Successful, was found shot to death at 7 p.m. on May 15 in a parking lot behind a Tractor Supply Co. and a Big Lots off U.S. Highway 27.
Shawn, who had no criminal history, was a gas station cashier by day and a drag entertainer by night. As his stage persona Mercedes Successful, Shawn represented his native Jamaica in the 2014 Gay Caribbean USA Pageant.
His family and friends claim he was “transitioning” and had begun taking female hormones a month before his death.
A talented seamstress, Shawn showed off his prom night creations on his Facebook page. He visited Atlanta on May 9, where he attended a taping of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta at Rasheeda Frost’s Pressed boutique in Buckhead’s swanky Phipps Plaza.
Police are not investigating Shawn’s death as a hate crime. Shawn was not dressed in drag when he was found. His body was clad in shorts, a t-shirt and sneakers.
Assistant Chief Brian McNulty tells Bay News 9 there is no indication that Shawn’s sexual lifestyle played a role in his death.
Rumors that 2 suspects were in custody are false.
