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Texas Police Misgender Transgender Victim Rosa Martinez Machuca in Aftermath of Austin Target Shooting
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A tragic mass shooting in North Austin this week has left three people dead, including 24-year-old Rosa Martinez Machuca, a transgender woman and Target employee whose memory is now the center of both grief and controversy. As the Austin Police Department (APD) continues to investigate the incident, the department’s repeated misgendering and deadnaming of Martinez Machuca in official documents and public statements has drawn criticism from advocates and the wider LGBTQ+ community .
On Monday, August 11, 2025, at approximately 2:15 p.m., Austin police responded to calls of multiple shootings at the Target parking lot on Research Boulevard. The attack left three victims dead: Adam Chow, his 4-year-old granddaughter, and Rosa Martinez Machuca. The alleged shooter, Ethan Nieneker, was apprehended after a chaotic sequence of events that included further assaults and an eventual confrontation with police .
Martinez Machuca, who was working and collecting shopping carts at the time, was shot and transported to the hospital, where she was later pronounced deceased .
Initial police reports and city documents identified Martinez Machuca by her legal name and gender assigned at birth, rather than the name and pronouns she used in everyday life . Although her fiancée, Kim Dang, and others confirmed to media that Martinez Machuca was a transgender woman, official communications continued to use incorrect identifiers. A correction issued by some outlets still failed to use the proper pronouns, compounding the harm felt by those mourning her loss .
Kim Dang described Martinez Machuca as “my sunshine” and “the love of my life,” highlighting her creativity, love of reading, and passion for anime. According to Dang, Martinez Machuca came out as a transgender woman after the couple graduated from high school, but had not been able to complete a legal name change before her death .
The repeated misgendering of Martinez Machuca has drawn swift condemnation from LGBTQ+ advocates, who emphasize the importance of respecting transgender individuals’ identities, especially in death. Advocates note that misgendering and deadnaming victims can deepen the trauma for loved ones and obscure the realities of anti-transgender violence .
LGBTQ+ organizations are calling for updated protocols among law enforcement and public agencies to ensure that victims are identified according to their affirmed name and gender whenever possible. “Transgender people deserve dignity in life and in death,” a spokesperson for Equality Texas told reporters, adding that respectful identification is essential not only for the families of victims, but also for an accurate public record of violence against transgender people .
The misgendering of Martinez Machuca is part of a broader pattern of law enforcement and media mishandling cases involving transgender victims. Numerous national organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign and GLAAD, have issued guidelines for the respectful identification of transgender people in public records, urging officials to consult with families or community members when legal documents do not align with an individual’s lived identity.
Research and advocacy groups have documented how such misidentification can hinder investigations, obscure the scale of violence faced by transgender communities, and impede public understanding of hate-motivated crimes .
As the Austin community grapples with the tragedy at the Target store, friends and loved ones of Rosa Martinez Machuca are focusing on her memory and legacy. Vigils and online tributes have celebrated her life, while also demanding that public agencies adopt practices that respect the identities of all victims.
Target, the company where Martinez Machuca worked, released a statement expressing condolences to the families of those lost and confirmed that grief counseling will be offered to employees impacted by the shooting .
For many in Austin and beyond, Martinez Machuca’s story is a painful reminder that, even in the aftermath of violence, dignity and respect for transgender people remain urgent issues—ones that demand ongoing attention and action by law enforcement, government, and the media.
