Dallas Police Arrest Man After Confession for Shooting Trans Woman

A man in Dallas has confessed to shooting a trans woman at a bus stop, the latest in a wave of violence targeting trans women of color in the city.

Police say that 29-year-old Domingo Ramirez-Cavente pulled up alongside the victim at around 11pm on Friday, and "began speaking derogatorily of gay and transgender people."

The victim, who has not been identified, walked away. But police say the suspect followed her and opened fire when she reached a bus stop. Hit in the chest and arm, the woman was rushed to a hospital and faced multiple surgeries. Though she remains hospitalized, she is expected to survive the shooting.

Ramirez-Cavente was initially arrested for a traffic violation, but later confessed to the shooting. Police are treating the attack as a hate crime, though Texas has limited protections. Currently, state law recognizes hate crimes committed on the basis of sexual orientation, but not gender identity.

Dallas has seen a series of attacks against transgender women lately, with women of color enduring the bulk of the violence.

Earlier this year, Muhlaysia Booker made headlines when a video went viral depicting multiple men beating her in a parking lot. Several weeks later, she was found shot to death. A few weeks after that, Chynal Lindsey's body was found in White Rock Lake.

Police arrested a man named Shade Schuler in connection with Booker's death, alleging that he also killed two others. Ruben Alvarado was arrested and accused of murdering Lindsey.

In 2018, the body of Nicole Hall was found in White Rock Creek, and Carla Flores-Pavon was strangled to death in her apartment.

Texas Democrats have been trying to expand the state's hate crimes laws to cover trans citizens for years. State Representative Garnet Coleman has taken the lead on pushing for reform, and earlier this year brought a trans-inclusive bill to committee. Following testimony about the violence and death faced by transgender Texans, the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, which has a Republican majority, failed to bring the bill to a vote.

Nevertheless, the mere fact that Republican legislators were willing to listen to trans citizens was seen as a small victory.

"While it may seem like a small, procedural step, hearing Rep. Coleman's bill was a meaningful leap forward in the struggle for transgender rights, recognition and equality in Texas," said state Representative Jessica Gonzalez, who chairs the state House's LGBTQ+ caucus. "Because of Rep. Coleman's leadership, a committee heard testimony directly from trans Texans, including stories about fearing for their safety every day,"

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