Koko Da Doll, a black transgender woman who was featured within the acclaimed 2023 Sundance Film Festival documentary “Kokomo City,” died Tuesday in Atlanta, Georgia. She was 35 years old.
The Atlanta police department reported that the sex employee — whose real name is Rasheeda Williams — had been found with an “apparent gunshot wound” on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive within the Southwest a part of the town, Deadline reported.
Koko was “not alert, conscious or respiratory” and was subsequently pronounced dead on the scene, per the report.
As of yet, authorities haven’t named any suspects within the shooting.
“Homicide investigators responded to the scene and are working to find out the circumstances surrounding the incident,” police wrote within the statement. “The investigation continues.”
A outstanding figure in Atlanta’s transgender community, Williams is probably best known for starring within the award-winning documentary “Kokomo City,” which premiered on the Sundance Film Festival this past January.
The film followed the lives of Koko and three other African-American trans sex staff in Atlanta and Recent York City, shedding light on the under-explored topic of violence and discrimination faced by trans people within the black community.
Following the film’s premiere, Williams thanked director and singer D. Smith for providing her a platform to inform her story.
“I might be the rationale there’s more opportunities and doors opening for transgender girls,” the sex employee wrote on Instagram in January. “What you’ve done here for me goes to save lots of a whole lot of lives.”
“Kokomo City’s” solid and crew were devastated over Williams’ death.
“Rasheeda, aka Koko Da Doll, was the newest victim of violence against Black transgender women,” “Kokomo City” director D. Smith said in a press release, per Variety. “I created ‘Kokomo City’ because I wanted to point out the fun, humanized, natural side of Black trans women. I desired to create images that didn’t show the trauma or the statistics of murder of Transgender lives. I desired to create something fresh and provoking. I did that. We did that! But here we’re again.”
While still “struggling to process Koko’s passing,” Smith said he was encouraged greater than ever before to share her story with the world.
“She is going to encourage generations to come back and won’t ever be forgotten,” the songwriter said.
“Fellow “Kokomo City” star Daniella Carter paid tribute to Williams on Instagram, writing: “Never thought I’d lose you, but here I’m standing alone without you by my side we’re sisters for all times we promised, but now you’re gone I don’t know what to do without you I’m going crazy, I’m attempting to hold on to maintain strong…”
The Sundance Film Festival also offered their condolences.
“We’re saddened to listen to concerning the death of Rasheeda Williams aka Koko Da Doll,” they wrote on Twitter. We were honored to have her on the festival this yr with ‘Kokomo City,’ where she reminded Black trans women, ‘We are able to do anything, we might be whatever we wish to be.’ It’s a tragic loss.”
Koko’s death is reportedly one in all three violent crimes against transgender people this yr which can be under investigation by the Atlanta police, per a police statement.
“While these individual incidents are unrelated, we’re very aware of the epidemic-level violence against Black and brown transgender women in America,” they wrote.