Koko Da Doll, one of the memorable subjects from the recent documentary “Kokomo City,” is dead … and the film’s director says she was shot and killed as a result of trans violence.
D. Smith — director of the moving, award-winning doc featured this year at Sundance — shared the sad news Friday, saying Koko, AKA Rasheeda Williams, “was shot and killed in Atlanta” Tuesday night.
She added, Williams’ death makes her “the latest victim of violence against Black transgender women,” — but says she will “inspire generations to come and will never be forgotten.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Atlanta PD says cops responded to reports of a shooting just before 11 PM, and investigators found a woman who had been shot — she was pronounced dead on the scene.
For those unaware, “Kokomo City” took home 2 awards at this year’s Sundance Film Festival — following Black transgender sex workers, including Williams, as they lived and worked in New York and ATL.
Williams, along with Daniella Carter, Liyah Mitchell, and Dominique Silver, accurately put a spotlight on the horrendous threats women like them face on a daily basis.
Sundance is also paying respects, saying “We were honored to have her at the Festival this year with KOKOMO CITY, where she reminded Black trans women, ‘we can do anything, we can be whatever we want to be.’ It is a tragic loss.”
Williams was 35.
RIP