Disturbing viral video shows trans woman being beaten weeks before her murder

WARNING: Distressing footage

Just weeks after she was subject to a horrific suspected transphobic attack at the hands of a baying mob for a $290 dare, a transgender woman has been fatally shot.

Police in Dallas, Texas say Muhlaysia Booker was found facedown and dead on a street on Saturday morning. She had suffered “homicidal violence”.

Last month, the 23-year-old accidentally backed into a vehicle, and the driver of that vehicle jumped out, holding a gun.
 

In disturbing footage, which went viral soon after it was uploaded onto Facebook, the armed man refuses to let her leave unless she pays for the damage.

As a crowd gathers, someone offers $200 ($A290) to a man to beat the woman. A man then swings Ms Booker to the ground, pinning her down and throwing punches at her head. Others then join in and viciously kick her as she writhes in agony on the ground.

She suffered a concussion, fractured wrist and other injuries, but she attended a rally the following week where she said she was grateful to have survived the attack.
 

“This time I can stand before you, where in other scenarios we’re at a memorial,” the Dallas Morning News reported her as saying.

Edward Thomas, 29, was arrested and jailed on a charge of aggravated assault, but he denied allegations he used homophobic language during the attack.

A second person was arrested for kicking Ms Booker in the face but has not been charged.

Just two weeks later, Ms Booker’s body was discovered with gunshot wounds. There is no suggestion either of the men arrested had anything to do with her death.
 

Maj Vincent Weddington of Dallas Police told local media it wasn’t clear the shooting was a hate crime or motivated by retaliation.

However, he said the investigation into the April attack continued.

“We’re still attempting to identify other people that were seen assaulting Muhlaysia in the video,” he said.

Ms Booker’s death has sparked outrage on social media — with many pointing to worrying statistics that show the level of violence directed at transgender people in the US.
 

Her name is Dana Martin
Her name is Muhlaysia Booker
Her name is Ashanti Carmon
Her name is Claire Legato
Her name is Michelle Simone

5 Black Trans Women have been killed this year!
PROTECT BLACK TRANS WOMEN! pic.twitter.com/KluN8SmQwO

— MEFeater Magazine (@mefeater) May 20, 2019

Muhlaysia Booker is at least the 4th Black transgender person shot and killed in the U.S. so far this year, according to @HRC.

- Dana Martin, 31, was fatally shot in Alabama
- Ashanti Carmon, 27, was fatally shot in Maryland
- Claire Legato, 21, was fatally shot in Cleveland pic.twitter.com/busqqwJsqv

— AJ+ (@ajplus) May 20, 2019

According to Human Rights Campaign, at least 26 trans people were killed across the country last year, and the majority of them were African-American trans women.

The report states “some of these cases involve clear anti-transgender bias”, for example, where the perpetrator may have used transphobic language.