Atlanta trans woman Koko Da Doll, documentary subject, slain

ATLANTA — Koko Da Doll, an Atlanta woman who gained notice in a documentary about transgender Black women and the dangers they face, was shot to death in Atlanta this week, her sister said. Authorities said detectives wanted to identify the person “to assist with the current investigation on the homicide.” Koko had gained notice earlier this year when she and others appeared in the documentary “Kokomo City,” describing her life as a transgender woman, her interactions with Black men as a sex worker, and the threats of violence she sometimes faced. She was proud of who she was because she came from a loving, accepting family.” “Kokomo City” director D. Smith wrote in a statement on Instagram that she wanted to make a movie “to show the fun, humanized, natural side of Black trans women” and not focus on “trauma or the statistics of murder of transgender lives.” “But here we are again, Smith wrote. “I will be the reason there’s more opportunities and doors opening for transgender girls,” Koko wrote on her Instagram account in January during the Sundance festival in Utah. “WE WILL GET JUSTICE FOR YOU AND PLEASE PROTECT BLACK TRANS WOMEN AT ALL COST!” Atlanta police said Friday that they are investigating whether Koko’s shooting as well as the deaths earlier this year of two other transgender women should be classified as hate crimes.