A transgender woman who was beaten in a Dallas parking lot last month was fatally shot on Saturday, according to police.
Dallas Police Major Vincent Weddington said that the woman, who was identified as Muhlaysia Booker, was found dead after police responded to a reported shooting at approximately 6:40 a.m. on Saturday.
“Upon arrival, officers found the complainant lying face down in the street — deceased from homicidal violence,” Weddington said at a press conference Sunday.
Investigators have not yet concluded if Booker’s death was inspired by hate or retaliation.
“We recognize that hate crimes, if you will, are a serious topic,” Avery Moore, assistant chief at the Dallas Police Department, told the Dallas Morning News. “We at the Dallas Police Department take them serious.”
Booker, 23, was attacked by several men in April in a parking lot following what police described as a minor traffic accident. Video of the attack, which left Booker with a broken wrist and a concussion, was posted on social media.
Weddington said there is no evidence to show that Edward Thomas, who was charged for the assault seen in the video, was involved in shooting Booker. Thomas was arrested and was charged due to his involvement with the April attack.
“There is nothing at this time to connect Mr. Edward Thomas and the offense that occurred yesterday,” he said.
Police have not yet pinned down who else was involved in the April attack, but Weddington asked anyone in the public with knowledge of the situation to “come forward with information to bring closure to both these offenses.”
