Transgender woman fatally shot in parking lot of Dallas apartment complex
A passerby found 22-year old Merci Mack unconscious and suffering from a gunshot wound
Police are investigating the shooting death of a 22-year-old transgender woman who was fatally shot last week at a Dallas apartment complex.
A passerby found the woman, later identified as Merci Mack, unconscious in the parking lot of the Rosemont Apartments complex in the 3000 block of East Ledbetter Drive around 6:15 a.m. last Tuesday.
Paramedics from Dallas Fire-Rescue arrived on scene and declared her dead.
Residents of the complex told officers they’d heard gunshots around 5 a.m., but police said there were no records of related 911 calls at that time, according to The Dallas Morning News.
A suspect has not yet been identified. The investigation remains ongoing.
Mack was initially “deadnamed” in media reports because she did not have ID that matched her gender identity.
According to the Morning News, more transgender people have been killed in Texas than any other state, with nearly half of those deaths occurring in Dallas.
Mack’s death at another Dallas apartment complex is reminiscent of the attack on transgender woman Muhlaysia Booker, who was beaten unconscious by a mob of people following a minor traffic accident. Booker was later found shot to death in an unrelated incident.
“Another Black transgender woman has had her life stolen from her,” Tori Cooper, the Human Rights Campaign’s director of community engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative, said in a statement.
“We cannot become numb to the fact that our community has learned of more killings of transgender and gender non-conforming people in the past few weeks than HRC has ever tracked in the past seven years.”
Cooper continued: “Her friends say that Merci Mack was a young, upbeat soul who deserved to experience a full life. HRC is mourning with Merci’s loved ones and are calling for a full, thorough investigation into her death.”
Those with any information about the case are asked to contact Detective Brian Tabor of the Dallas Police Department Homicide Unit at (214) 671-3605 or brian.tabor@dallascityhall.com.
They can also reach out anonymously through the city’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 214-373-TIPS (8477). Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for information called into Crime Stoppers that leads to the arrest and indictment for any felony offenses.
Read more:
Trump administration moves forward with rule allowing shelters to turn away transgender individuals
Think tank slams U.S. military for celebrating Pride Month despite transgender ban
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.