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Texas police: Similarities among attacks of transgender women

By Darryl Coote

May 22 (UPI) -- Dallas police are investigating whether there is a connection between the deaths of two transgender women and an assault on a third in the past seven months, authorities said.

Police Maj. Vincent Weddington told reporters Tuesday police are aware of four investigations involving the assault or death of transgender women in Dallas since 2017. Investigators are looking to see if there's a link between the most recent three, which occurred in the past seven months.

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"These cases, although not directly related at this time, do have similarities the public needs to be aware of," he said.

The most recent victim, Muhlaysia Booker, 23, was shot and killed Saturday after having been beaten by a group of men a month earlier. Last month, a transgender woman was stabbed multiple times and another was shot dead last October.

Weddington said all the victims were black transgender females and two were in the area of Spring Avenue and Lagow Street prior to being attacked. Two of the three had also gotten into someone else's vehicle before being assaulted, and the third allowed someone into her vehicle, he said.

Weddington also mentioned a fourth investigation into the remains of another transgender woman found in a Dallas field in 2017. The circumstances of her death has not yet been determined, he said.

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Booker's death came a month after she was assaulted by a group of men in a parking lot of an apartment complex. A 29-year-old man was arrested for her beating but is not believed to be to connected to her death, Weddington had previously said, adding that more suspects were being sought.

Weddington said Dallas police are working with their federal partners to determine if any of the offenses could be considered hate crimes. He also said a town hall had been scheduled for Thursday as part of its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender outreach program.

"Everyone needs to be vigilant and pay attention to their surroundings when they're out in public and use caution when interacting socially," he said.

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