Photo: Southfield Police Department
A Black transgender woman was shot to death amid a dispute in Southfield, Michigan, per the Advocate.
Tahiry Broom, 29, was found dead earlier this month in the parking lot of Riverstone Apartments, where she was planning to meet Robert Ridges III, who had reportedly connected with her through a commercial sex advertisement.
Police believe the two got into an argument that escalated into Ridges opening fire.
Ridges fled the scene but was later arrested at the MGM Grand Casino in Detroit. He is facing charges of second-degree murder, carrying concealed weapons, and felony firearm possession. Police said they found the alleged murder weapon, a gun that had been reported stolen from Georgia, while executing a search warrant at his home.
According to Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren, Ridges placed 33 calls to sex workers the morning of Brooms' killing. Most of the calls were to Black women, including trans women.
“Every person is entitled to live without fear of violence,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a statement. “Tahiry Broom had family and friends who loved her. She did not deserve to die, and her killer will be brought to justice.”
A GoFundMe campaign was launched to help raise money for funeral services.
“Tahiry is a beloved member of the LGBTQ community who was murdered simply for being who she was!” the page reads. “She was brilliant, vibrant, and confident. She loved her friends and family. She was very outgoing and resilient and loved to live life to the fullest. Genuinely one of the sweetest souls you’d ever meet and would give anyone the shirt off her back.”
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