The black trans woman, who starred as Koko da Doll in the award-winning documentary, was shot and killed in Southwest Atlanta on Tuesday, April 18 at the age of 35.
- Apr 22, 2023
AceShowbiz - "Kokomo City" star Rasheeda Williams was the latest victim of gun violence. The black trans woman who starred as Koko da Doll in the award-winning documentary was shot and killed in Atlanta on Tuesday night, April 18. She was 35.
According to reports, Atlanta police found Williams with a gunshot wound in Southwest Atlanta and was pronounced dead at the scene. "Homicide investigators responded to the scene and are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident," police said in a statement. "The investigation continues."
In the wake of Williams' passing, "Kokomo City" director D. Smith issued a statement which read, "On Tuesday night, Rasheeda Williams was shot and killed in Atlanta. Rasheeda, aka Koko Da Doll, was the latest victim of violence against Black transgender women." He added, "I created Kokomo City because I wanted to show the fun, humanized, natural side of Black trans women. I wanted to create images that didn't show the trauma or the statistics of murder of Transgender lives. I wanted to create something fresh and inspiring. I did that. We did that!"
"But here we are again. It's extremely difficult to process Koko's passing, but as a team we are more encouraged now than ever to inspire the world with her story. To show how beautiful and full of life she was. She will inspire generations to come and will never be forgotten," he continued.
Sundance Film Festival also posted a tribute to Williams on Twitter. "We are saddened to hear about the death of Rasheeda Williams aka Koko Da Doll. 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," it wrote on Friday.
In "Kokomo City", Williams' character Koko da Doll was one of four black trans sex workers. The documentary was critically acclaimed upon its release at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
