Koko Da Doll best known as the star of the documentary named Kokomo City has died. On Tuesday, she was fatally shot in Atlanta. At the time of her passing, she was only 35 years old.
According to a report by the Atlanta Police Department, Koko was found with a gunshot wound in Southwest Atlanta shortly before 11 p.m. on Tuesday. The Kokomo City star was pronounced dead at the scene. Continue reading further to know more details about the tragic death of Koko Da Doll.
Koko Da Doll gets killed in Atlanta
Koko Da Doll whose real name was Rasheeda Williams was a prominent transgender woman who was killed in Atlanta on Tuesday. She passed away at the age of 35. She was noted for starring in the award-winning documentary called Kokomo City. The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year in January.
Grammy-nominated producer, singer, and songwriter D. Smith donned the director’s hat for the movie and it also marked his directorial debut. The documentary Kokomo City revolves around the lives of 4 Black trans sex workers living in Atlanta and New York City — Koko, Daniella Carter, Liyah Mitchell, and Dominique Silver.
It shows a realistic depiction of their lives as they face the dichotomy between the Black community and themselves, as well as the persistent threat of violence they face each day.
After the premiere of the movie at the Sundance Film Festival, Koko who was also a rapper offered a token of thanks to Smith and associate producer Dustin Lohman for giving her the golden opportunity to share her side of the story. Then, she used her Instagram page and wrote, “I will be the reason there’s more opportunities and doors opening for transgender girls. What you’ve done here for me is going to save a lot of lives.”
In a press release issued after the passing of Koko, the Atlanta Police Department mentioned that it is “investigating three violent crimes involving transgender women this year. While these individual incidents are unrelated, we are very aware of the epidemic-level violence against Black and brown transgender women in America.”
Tributes pour in for Koko Da Doll
In a statement shared on her Instagram page, Smith said, “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. 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.”
She added, “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.”
Carter took to Instagram and wrote, “Never thought I’d lose you, but here I am standing alone without you by my side. We’re sisters for life we promised, but now you’re gone I don’t know what to do without you. I’m going crazy, I’m trying to hold on to keep strong, but it just doesn’t feel right I’m waiting here my arms wide open, tears running down my face, ready for you to return even if it takes forever my sister. I will truly miss you sis.”
Silver also paid a heartfelt tribute to Rasheeda on the social media platform Instagram by writing, “My sister you are gone but you will never be forgotten! I am struggling right now to grasp the fact that we just spoke and now you aren’t here by my side! We will get justice for you and please protect Black trans women at all cost!”
Mitchell posted a series of messages on his Instagram Stories. In one of the post, she penned, “I’m still in disbelief. U deserved more. I’m sry u were born in a hateful world that didn’t understand you.” In another, she used the hashtag “#Justice4Koko.”
Following Koko’s demise, Doran, the producer of the movie Kokomo City also put out an emotional message on Facebook. “I am absolutely grief stricken over the loss of our wonderful Koko Da Doll. To know Koko, was to love Koko. She was the sweetest, kindest and gentlest soul. This tragedy is just unbearable to process,” he wrote alongside a video of KoKo Da Doll posing on the red carpet before the film’s Sundance premiere.
Doran further added, “Koko was working so hard to get out. She is brilliant in the film and when you see it, you will fall in love with her just as we all have. But she had also discovered her gift for music. She was making amazing music, so much so that @lenawaithe even put one of her songs on her show. Koko had been through so much and was doing the work and was getting out. To go from starring in a film at Sundance to this within 4 months is beyond words.”
The Sundance Film Festival also mourned the loss of Koko on social media. They wrote, “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.”
The cast and crew of the documentary Kokomo City including Koko Da Doll, Dominique Silver, executive producer Stacy Barthe, writer-director D. Smith, executive producer Lena Waithe, Liyah Mitchell, and Daniella Carter marked their presence at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
We send our deepest condolences to the close friends and entire family of Koko Da Doll during this tragic time. May her soul rest in peace. Don’t forget to stay tuned with us for the latest updates from the world of entertainment.
