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Muhlaysia Booker, the young transgender woman from Dallas who was brutally beaten by a gang of men last month, was shot and killed over the weekend.

According to NBC DFW, Dallas police found the 23-year-old dead, lying face down in the street on Saturday morning. Authorities have yet to make any arrests in her murder and are unsure there is a connection between her death and the assault she endured last month.

Remember, a video went viral of Booker being attacked by a group of men after getting into a minor car accident. The attack was flagged as a hate crime given that transphobic epithets were screamed at her during the beating.

That’s what your f***ot a** gets,” “Get that faggot out of our hood,” and “Shoot that punk a**,” police claim the crowd and attackers said.

CBS reported that Edward Thomas was arrested for the assault and was paid $200 to beat up Booker. Thomas admitted to his part in her attack, but denied he called her any demeaning names.

Booker suffered a concussion, fractured wrist and other injuries.

During a news conference held over the weekend, DPD addressed the violent month the city appears to be experiencing and their success in solving these homicides.

“It is the DPD policy that we actively pursue murder suspects. We as a department hold human life dearly and precious as should everybody but we recognize not everybody does,” Assistant Chief Avery Moore said.

He also stressed to whoever killed Booker, they are taking her death very seriously.

“So speaking directly to them – I want you to know that the DPD has never tolerated murder and we never will so understand that we will actively, aggressively pursue you. We need the help of the community and that will be our directive,” he added.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings tweeted about the latest shooting, saying he is “deeply saddened” by news of Booker’s death.

“I call on anyone with information on this homicide to please contact the Dallas Police Department.”

Sadly, we all know that this type of violence is not new or rare for transgender women.

While trans people only make up just .6% of the U.S. population, according to a 2016 estimate, they face disproportionately high rates of fatal violence. In 2017 alone, there were 25 trans murders reported, but it’s also believed that the actual number is much higher, Mic noted last year.

Most importantly, it’s trans of women of color bear the brunt of this type of violence.

Over 90 percent of transgender people murdered in the United States in 2016 were people of color with 70 percent have been Black, the HRC notes. Not to mention, being Black and trans in in America can also means facing alarmingly high levels of systematic discrimination, poverty, homelessness, unemployment, suicide, sexual assault, HIV infection and incarceration. Even worse, it’s estimated that the average lifespan for trans women is only 35-years-old.

It’s clear that we have more work to do in uplifting, supporting and protecting Black trans women in our community.

Rest in power Muhlaysia.

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