Black trans woman Kiér Lapri Kartier has been found dead of gunshot wounds near Dallas.
Kiér Laprí Kartier, also known as Kier Laprice Soloman, was 21 years old and lived in Dallas. On Thursday, September 30, she became the most recent Black trans women to lose her life in the campaign of terror targeting the trans community, according to a report from blogger Sue Kerr, who is tracking the epidemic of Black transwomen deaths on her site.
Kartier was found near Dallas, dead in a car with a fatal gunshot wound.
As reported by the Star-Telegram:
Police responded to a call at the complex shortly after 9:30 p.m. Thursday in the 1100 block of Stonetrail Circle in Arlington.
A resident reported finding an unresponsive person in a car that was parked at the complex.
When they arrived, police found the victim with a gunshot wound. She was taken to a local hospital and was pronounced dead.
Detectives are canvassing the neighborhood seeking witnesses and surveillance video, and speaking to friends and family of the victim.
Kartier was from Dallas and had attended Skyine High School. Her mother, aunt, and cousin and other relatives and friends are pouring their grief and posting tributes to Facebook. They are also correcting the media and law enforcement sources when they misgender Kartier, as happens frequently with transgender women deaths.
Kartier is the 38th trans, nonbinary or gender nonconforming person reported killed in 2021. Thirty-five of these trans folk have been BIPOC and Kartier is the 29th victim who identified as Black.
Kerr notes that there is an average of one trans death or homicide (that is reported) per week. With this rate, 2021 is on track to exceed 2020's record of 44 deaths — that make the police files.
HRC is also keeping track of the deaths and homicides of trans women here.