A transgender man in Spokane, Washington, says he was forced to fight for his life on his own front lawn after a stranger allegedly vandalized his home and attacked him repeatedly with a hatchet.
Alexander Wolfe, 39, suffered a fractured skull and multiple lacerations during the Aug. 10 attack at his South Hill home. Police arrested 25-year-old Shawn D. Jones, who is facing a first-degree assault charge. Prosecutors have also asked police to investigate whether the incident could support hate crime charges.
According to court documents and Wolfe’s account, the violence began around 4 a.m. when Wolfe woke to breaking glass and banging outside his home. When he went downstairs, he discovered someone smashing his glass storm door.
Wolfe’s fiancée reportedly heard Jones say something resembling “save the kids” while damaging the property. Wolfe and his fiancée also said they heard the word “transgender” before the attack. Small Pride flags were displayed outside the home.
A Fight for Survival
Wolfe grabbed a baseball bat and confronted the man, telling him to leave the property. Wolfe said Jones threatened to kill him before charging with a hatchet.
What followed was a brutal struggle.
Wolfe told the newspaper that Jones struck him at least seven times, including twice in the head and several times across his arms and shoulders. Jones allegedly took Wolfe’s bat during the struggle and at one point attempted to gouge Wolfe’s eye.
Despite his injuries, Wolfe eventually managed to overpower Jones and restrain him until police arrived.
“I just fought for my life on my front lawn,” Wolfe recalled telling officers.
Wolfe was hospitalized with a skull fracture and significant wounds to his arm and head. Jones was also hospitalized before being booked into the Spokane County Jail on Aug. 14. Court records indicate he later posted $5,000 bond, though a bench warrant is expected to be served following his discharge from subsequent hospital treatment.
Possible Hate Crime Investigated
Whether Wolfe was specifically targeted because he is transgender remains under investigation. Wolfe said he did not know Jones and cannot be certain the attacker knew he was transgender before arriving at the house. However, the references reportedly made before the attack, combined with the destruction of Pride-related items, have raised questions about motive.
Wolfe said the incident has left his fiancée and three children traumatized. Two younger children woke during the attack, while his fiancée called 911 after witnessing the fight and initially feared Wolfe had been killed.
Despite the violence, Wolfe has not removed the Pride flags from his home.
For him, those flags aren’t simply decorations or political statements. They are a signal to other LGBTQ people that someone like them lives there.
That message now carries a darker reality.
A Pride flag should never be interpreted as an invitation for harassment, vandalism, or violence. And nobody should have to survive a hatchet attack simply because someone may have decided their identity made them a target.
