Wisconsin Man Charged in Killing of Black Transgender Woman Chyna Long

A man has been arrested and charged with the murder of Chyna Long, a Black transgender woman who was found shot on a street in Milwaukee last week.

Antonio Currin, 29, has been charged with one count of first-degree reckless homicide and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. His bail was set at $150,000 on Sunday.

According to court documents seen by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Currin was observed on a surveillance video leaving his home at 7:34 a.m. on Sunday, October 8. Shortly before 7:47 a.m., a witness saw a man wearing a face mask and matching Currin’s description talking with a person inside a Chevy Impala. A series of gunshots rang out at 7:47 a.m., and surveillance video captured the Impala speeding away from the scene. Police arriving at the scene found Long lying in the street suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Currin was identified as a suspect during the investigation. During police questioning, Currin denied involvement in the murder and claimed to have worked from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the day of the murder. Police quickly established he had clocked in at 7:52 a.m., though, and surveillance footage allegedly showed him arriving at work driving the same Impala seen speeding away from the scene of Long’s murder.

Long’s father, John Long, showed his grief and anguish at the loss of his daughter in a video posted to TikTok. (Editor's note: John Long misgenders Chyna Long in the video.)

“You had to take my baby, y’all,” John Long said tearfully in the heart-wrenching video, which has gone viral with over 9 million views. “You had to take my baby.”

Long has not been shy when discussing the potential motives for the murder. He told WISN he thought Chyna’s murder “has something to do with that,” referring to her transgender identity. And when Brhett Vickery of WITI asked if he thought the murder was a hate crime, Long responded, “I know it was.”

Currin was previously convicted in 2013 of fleeing law enforcement. The conviction barred him from possessing firearms. Currin was also wanted by police as the alleged getaway driver in the three-man crew that committed a series of brazen robberies on June 22, 2016.

The family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for funeral expenses.

At least 20 trans people are known to have died by violence in the U.S. this year, most of them women of color. The true count in any given year is likely higher, as some are misgendered or deadnamed by police and media, or their deaths not reported at all.

Pictured above: Chyna Long and Antonio Currin