A Missouri man has been charged with second degree murder in the shooting death of Dominique, a 26 year old transgender woman he met on the dating site Plenty of Fish, according to police and prosecutors in Springfield.
Police say Charles, 28, had been messaging Dominique and the two planned to meet at an apartment where she was staying. A person who lives in the apartment, identified in court records only as S.D., told police that Dominique woke him early Thursday morning to say she was getting ready for her date. He said he went back to sleep and was woken by gunshots. According to his account, he saw Dominique on the couch and a man standing over her before the man fled to a car. S.D. photographed the man as he drove away, and a neighbor also saw a man leaving.
The advocacy group PROMO Missouri mourned her publicly, calling Dominique a Black trans woman lost to hate fueled violence and sharing that the community’s hearts were broken for her and her family.
Police say Charles was arrested later that evening. Authorities allege that text messages between the two and witness statements linked him to the shooting, that he had blood on his shoes when officers found him, and that a gun recovered at his home matched a shell casing from the scene. The charge is an allegation and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Dominique’s family says everyone who knew her adored her. Her cousin Ciara told reporters: “We grew up together. We have lived together numerous times.” She added that Dominique always looked out for others and had a very good heart.
Charles is being held in the Greene County jail.
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