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Who was Hamza 'Travis' Nagdy? Breonna Taylor protest leader shot dead during suspected carjacking in Louisville

Nagdy's mentor, Antonio T-Made Taylor said, 'I hope he will be a symbol of this violence and that we'll finally say, This stops with Travis'

BY DIVYA KISHORE

PUBLISHED NOV 24, 2020

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY: A protestor, often seen leading Breonna Taylor protests, has been shot dead early Monday, November 23. Hamza "Travis" Nagdy was reportedly killed during an alleged carjacking near the University of Louisville campus. As per The Courier Journal, the shooting happened just before 12.30 am in the 2100 block of Crittenden Drive.

Louisville Metro Police have not disclosed much detail about Nagdy’s death. Matt Sanders, the spokesperson of the police, said the young man was rushed to the University of Louisville Hospital after the shooting, where he was declared dead because of several gunshot wounds. The homicide unit of the police department has launched a probe into the murder, but no suspect has been arrested yet. Nagdy’s friends have remembered him as an inspirational and energetic person whose purpose was to end racism in society. Antonio T-Made Taylor, an independent reporter and mentor to Nagdy, said, “I hope he will be a symbol of this violence and that we'll finally say, 'This stops with Travis. We're going to finally put some attention on this thing, and we're going to wrap a movement around it, and we are going to be serious about what's going on in our city."

Antonio added: “He's irreplaceable. Travis really believed he could help change systemic racism. He believed he could be a big part of that change. If you ever needed to see hope in a young man, you could look at Travis and see it. ... He was inspiring, he was insightful, he was encouraging. He was so willing to learn. He was just a beacon of hope. Him and his megaphone."

Nagdy’s mother and stepmother also confirmed in social media posts that he has been killed. The deceased protest leader’s sister, Sarah Nagdy, started a GoFundMe page to raise funds for his funeral. The message on the page that has raised $24,675 at the time of writing read: “My brother was murdered. He was only 21 years old. He was an avid activist for Black Lives Matter. He was an inspirational leader. We are poor and can not afford any money at all for his funeral. Our mother lives on disability and I just lost my job due to covid. Please. Anything helps even a share.”

Who was Hamza "Travis" Nagdy?

Nagdy was born and brought up in Louisville before he moved to Breckenridge County with his mother at the age of 14. Reports stated that his childhood was not good. He once told The Courier Journal, “I was a screwed up little kid,” and had his youth days spent in both foster care and behind bars on charges of theft. But for more than two years, he was out of prison, taking on a leadership role in Louisville's racial justice movement. He also got the opportunity to have lunch with state Representative Attica Scott.

“I’m an ex-foster kid, I’m a felon and I don’t have my GED. I spent three years or four years, not consecutively, incarcerated. And next week I’m flying to New York with Until Freedom. I’m having lunch with a state representative. I got people asking me to lead marches,” Nagdy said back in October.

On Monday afternoon, friends and family marched in his honor while chanting one of his favorite lines, "Today is not my day to die." Nagdy's mother, Christina Muimneach, said during the march, “I just can't believe this has happened. Thank you for doing this in his honor, and I know he has to be watching and smiling."