Chyna Gibson, a transgender woman and a drag performer, was shot and killed outside a New Orleans shopping center on Saturday night. She is at least the fifth transgender woman murdered this year.
Gibson, who performed as Chyna Doll Dupree, was shot as she was leaving a mall in New Orleans East around 8:30 pm, with witnesses saying they heard as many as 10 shots fired. She died at the scene, the Times-Picayune reported.
A friend told the newspaper that Gibson had just arrived in the city from California to celebrate Mardi Gras with her family and friends.
“She was just a really good person," the friend said. "Everyone loved her."
On Facebook, friends posted clips of their favorite performances by Gibson and remembered her as a caring friend and vivacious performer.
"My friend for years, a role model for us all on & off the stage, our next generation of greatness, in my generation she was already a legend 'dancing doll' herself, she was a beautiful, a sweet, humble, kind caring spirit inside," one person wrote.
Another person posted: “RIP Chyna Doll Dupree. You were such an inspiration to myself and many of my closest friends. You will forever be missed. Fly on angel, fly on!”
Gibson's death comes just four days after 24-year-old Tiara Richmond, who also went by Keke Collier, was murdered on Chicago's South side.