Man Charged Over The Death Of Merci Mack, A Black Trans Woman Killed In Dallas
Merci Mack Richey, a Black transgender woman, was shot and killed in Dallas on the final day of Pride Month. Her alleged killer has now been arrested.
The North Texas Fugitive Task Force arrested 20-year-old Angelo Walker on Wednesday (July 8) with murder and breaking probation for a past aggravated robbery. According to Buzzfeed, he appeared in court the following day.
Richey, who was 22, was reportedly found in a parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds at 6:15 a.m. on June 30.
According to the arrest affidavit, a witness said he saw Walker "chasing a woman through the parking lot firing a handgun at her" at around 5 a.m. The witness claims he knew Walker and recognized the ski mask he often wore.
Investigators say Walker and Richey had an “altercation” over a video prior to Richey's murder.
In a post of Facebook from June 29, Richey wrote, "Brand new video on my private snap in jusssst a minute y’all have to see how nasty I got with this n***a!"
Since Richey’s death, her family released a photo of her body at the wake and the caption: “It is with the blessing of the family that we share a photo image from Merci's viewing today. Merci ‘Pooda’ Mack Richey was special to so many people, so to family, it feels right to allow the community the privilege to share in the love, the grief and the wonderful memories that she leaves behind. To quote her best friend fb/Dolly Part ‘I’ll remember the bossy attitude, the loudness, the confidence, the biggest prettiest smile ever, the LOVE she had for me 💖 Life Is Precious.’
According to the Human Rights Campaign, 21 trans people have been killed in 2020 – a majority of which have been Black trans women. Four have been killed in the last week. Three were Black trans women.
