Chyna Gibson, a 31-year-old Black transgender woman, was shot and killed in New Orleans on Saturday, February 25, 2017, while she was visiting her hometown for Mardi Gras. Gibson, a celebrated and beloved performer in the drag and ballroom communities, also went by the name Chyna Doll Dupree. Originally from New Orleans, she had moved to Sacramento, California, but had returned to the city to be with family and for a scheduled performance.
On the evening of her death, at approximately
8:30 p.m., multiple gunshots were heard in the 4300 block of Downman Road in the Pines Village neighborhood. Gibson was discovered in a shopping center parking lot, lying between two cars with multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency responders pronounced her dead at the scene. Reports indicated she was shot ten times. Her murder was one of two killings of transgender women in New Orleans within a 48-hour period, although police stated the cases did not appear to be related.
In the days following the shooting, the New Orleans Police Department released photos of two men they identified as persons of interest who they wanted to question in connection with the murder. Authorities later announced they had located these individuals. However, they stopped short of naming them as suspects, and as of February 2023, Chyna Gibson's murder remains unsolved. No suspects have been officially named, and no arrests have been announced in the case. The motive for her killing remains unclear, and it has not been confirmed by law enforcement whether it was investigated as a hate crime. The case continues to be a painful and unresolved tragedy for her friends, family, and the LGBTQ community, who remember her as a vibrant and talented performer.
