Black Trans Woman Shyyell Sanchez-McCray Murder — First Reported Homicide in 2026
A life, a legacy, and the growing pattern of violence and erasure facing Black trans women in America.
Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray, a 42-year-old Black trans woman known as Mabel to those close to her, was killed in Petersburg, Virginia. On March 13, just before 2 a.m., police responded to a reported shooting on the 300 block of Elm Street.
Officers entered a home described as having an unsecured door and found Shyyell with gunshot injuries. She was p…
