In the late summer hours of August 27, 2022, the life of Dede Ricks, a 33-year-old Black transgender woman from Ohio, was tragically cut short in Detroit, Michigan. Authorities responded to a call of a shooting in the early morning, at approximately 3:40 a.m., at a residence on Manistique Street. Upon arrival, they discovered Dede with gunshot wounds to her back and chest.
Despite the efforts of medics who arrived at the scene, she was pronounced dead.
The investigation into her death moved swiftly, and later that same day, the Detroit Police Department made an arrest. The suspect was identified as 31-year-old Deontae Antoine Close of Detroit. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office subsequently brought charges against him, which included second-degree murder and a felony firearm possession charge. Close was arraigned on these charges and a bond was set at $500,000. As a condition of potential release, he would be required to wear a GPS tether and would be prohibited from possessing any weapons.
The death of Dede Ricks was noted with deep concern by community advocates, as it was the second killing of a Black transgender woman in Detroit in a short period of time. While prosecutors stated that the two cases did not appear to be related, the violence highlighted the dangers faced by the transgender community. Law enforcement and local organizations emphasized the need to address the violence and create a safer environment for transgender individuals. While an arrest and charges were swiftly made in Dede's case, the community was left to mourn the loss of another life taken too soon.
