A transgender woman was found fatally shot in East Dallas on Saturday morning, about a month after a viral video showed her being attacked outside an apartment complex, authorities said.
Police identified the woman as 23-year-old Muhlaysia Booker. Officers found her body face down in the 7200 block of Valley Glen Drive around 6:40 a.m near the Tenison Park Golf Course.
In a press conference Sunday, police said they did not have any leads in the case. They do not know if the slaying was a hate crime.
In April, an online video showed Booker being punched and kicked outside the Royal Crest Apartments in the 3500 block of Wilhurt Avenue in Oak Cliff. The fight, in which Booker received a concussion and broken wrist, began after a car accident, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Edward Thomas, 29, was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He posted bond and was released from jail, police said.
Booker’s death was one of 23 homicides so far in May, police said at the news conference. Eighteen of those cases have been solved.
“We hold human life dearly,” assistant police chief Avery Moore said. “But we recognize not everyone does. We will actively and aggressively pursue you.”
Mayor Mike Rawlings also responded to the slaying on Twitter.
I am deeply saddened to learn of the murder of Muhlaysia Booker. I call on anyone with information on this homicide to please contact the Dallas Police Department.
— Mike Rawlings (@Mike_Rawlings) May 20, 2019
