(WXYZ) — A Southfield man has been charged with murdering a transgender woman and sex worker over the weekend.
According to police, Robert Ridges III, 28, is charged with second-degree murder, carrying a concealed weapon and felony firearm in the case. The victim is 29-year-old Tahiry Broom.
Related video: Bodycam shows suspect arrest in murder of transgender woman
Prosecutors say Ridges met Broom 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 Broom.
“Every person is entitled to live without fear of violence,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a statement. “Tahiry Broom had family and friends who loved her. She did not deserve to die and her killer will be brought to justice.”
Watch below: Report from Sunday after Broom's body was found in the complex
Advocate Jeynce Poindexter said there's danger in the growing negative rhetoric regarding the trans community:
"What continues to happen is by the trans community being labeled as the other and constantly ostracized, it allows for victimization to creep in at every angle ... harassment, discrimination, violence, the threat of, or essentially in this case, murder. Hatred breeds hatred," said Poindexter.
