29 Year Old Black Trans Woman Tahiry Broom Killed in Detroit — Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents

Tahiry Broom, a 29-year-old Black transgender woman, was shot and killed on Sunday morning, February 9, in Southfield, Michigan. She was visiting Detroit from Cleveland. Tahiry’s nickname was Tokyo.

According to WXYZ, Robert Ridges III, 28, met her through a commercial sex advertisement and met up on Sunday, Feb. 9, near Ridges’ apartment in Southfield. After an argument, they say Ridges allegedly shot Tahiry. He is charged with second-degree murder, carrying a concealed weapon and felony firearm in the case.

Police responded to the 25000 block of Shiawassee Road for a report of an unresponsive person around 10:14 a.m. on Feb. 9. When they arrived, they found Tahiry lying in the parking lot of the Riverstone Apartments with a single gunshot wound to the right side of her head. Tahiry died at the scene per CBSMichigan

Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren said Ridges placed 33 phone calls to various sex workers the morning of the shooting. Barren said mostly all the people Ridges sought out were Black females, including members of the transgender community.

When they executed a search warrant officers recovered a Sig Sauer 9mm handgun and ammunition. The gun was reported stolen out of Georgia on July 23, 2023.