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‘Kokomo City’ Star Koko Da Doll Shot and Killed at 35

The film sought to give a nuanced portrayal of the lives of Koko and three other Black transgender sex workers.

Koko Da Doll, star of the acclaimed documentary Kokomo City, was found dead in Atlanta at the age of 35, according to Variety. Koko, whose real name was Rasheeda Williams, was allegedly pronounced dead Tuesday night after a gunshot wound to the head, becoming what Kokomo City director D. Smith called “the latest victim of violence against Black transgender women.” The film, which marked Smith’s directorial debut when it premiered at Sundance, sought to give a nuanced and human portrayal of the lives of Koko and three other Black transgender sex workers. “She will inspire generations to come and will never be forgotten,” Smith, who is also transgender, wrote in an Instagram post, adding that she wanted to “show the fun, humanized, natural side of Black trans women,” rather than just the “trauma or the statistics of murder of Transgender lives.”