Authorities have confirmed that one of the victims in Monday’s triple homicide outside a North Austin Target was 24-year-old Rosa Machuca, a transgender woman and Target employee. The Austin Police Department (APD) released the update on Wednesday, correcting initial reports that misidentified her based on legal documents.
The shooting occurred on August 11 in the store’s parking lot on Research Boulevard. According to APD, a gunman opened fire just before 6 p.m., killing Machuca, 65-year-old Adam Chow, and his 4-year-old granddaughter. Investigators have described the attack as a “random act of violence.” The suspect was taken into custody the same day.
APD’s initial release used a different name for Machuca, prompting calls from friends, coworkers, and local LGBTQ+ advocates to identify her publicly as she lived. Two days later, police issued a revised statement, saying, “We believe it is important to honor and acknowledge them as they lived their life.”
Remembering Rosa
Machuca’s fiancée, Kim Dang, spoke to reporters about the woman she had loved since their teenage years. The two met in middle school and began dating in high school. Kim described Rosa as her constant source of joy, saying, “She’s like my sunshine; she’s always very bright.”
Kim explained that Rosa had been living as a transgender woman for several years and had long used the name Rosa Machuca, though she had not yet been able to update her legal documents. “That was her name. That’s who she was to me and to everyone who loved her,” Kim said.
Friends and coworkers have echoed those sentiments online. One colleague wrote on Reddit, “Let’s try to remember her the way she would want to be remembered: as a sweet, caring, and funny woman named Rosa.”
Community Response
The case has drawn strong reactions from Austin’s LGBTQ+ community. Local drag performer Brigitte Bandit publicly criticized the initial misnaming, saying in an Instagram post, “That needs to be corrected, and she needs to be recognized for who she was. The violence against trans people in this city is getting out of control.”
Some community members have also raised concerns about a GoFundMe page created in Machuca’s memory that initially used her birth name and incorrect pronouns. Supporters are urging the page’s organizers to update the information to reflect her lived identity.
A Broader Pattern
While APD has not said the shooting was motivated by bias, Machuca’s death comes amid ongoing concerns about violence against transgender people nationwide. According to the Human Rights Campaign, at least 15 transgender or gender-nonconforming individuals have been killed in the United States so far in 2025, though the true number is likely higher due to underreporting or misidentification.
For Kim, the loss is deeply personal. “She brought positivity into my life that I never thought I knew,” she said. “I just want people to know who she really was.”
