A Florida man has been arrested and charged with fatally shooting 21-year-old transgender TikTok influencer Galala during what appeared to be a marital argument.
Broward County Sheriff’s Office officials said 25-year-old Shanoid White Jr. shot and killed Garrara as she sat in a car on the side of the road in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, just before 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14.
According to the Miami location W.P.L.G.video from a nearby Tesla shows a man, believed to be Mr. White, getting out of the driver’s side of the sedan as Mr. Garrara tries to get out of the passenger side. The man appears to have grabbed her by the hair and forced her back into the car, then got out of the car with her mobile phone in hand.
Deputies said White and Garrara, who had been dating for several years, got into an argument that eventually turned physical, and White shot and killed Garrara.
When officers arrived, they found Garlala, who was sitting in the passenger seat of the sedan, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. She was taken to Broward Health Medical Center, where she died.
Girlalala, a hairstylist and TikTok influencer from Pompano Beach, is known for her extensive online presence, with nearly 300,000 followers on TikTok, over 40,000 followers on Instagram, and over 4,700 followers on YouTube. Her videos often featured her work with hair and wigs, and showcased her love of hip-hop.
But behind the scenes, Girl Lala and White’s relationship was turbulent, friends and relatives said. According to the Miami-based NBC affiliate, social media users have resurfaced old videos hinting at possible violence, showing her with cuts on her nose and under her eyes, in which she says she “fights all the time” with her boyfriend. WTVJ.
White, a former defensive lineman for the Bethune-Cookman University football team, was arrested on domestic violence charges in November 2022, WPLG reported. The arrest warrant alleges that he physically and maliciously struck the victim, who was not Mr. Galala, multiple times, but the victim refused to press charges.
White was charged with first-degree murder with a firearm and was ordered held without bail after his first court appearance. He remains in custody at the Broward County Jail.
According to LGBTQ nationFlorida-based rapper JT (Jatavia Shakara Johnson) — whose music Girlalala is often featured in her videos — is gofundme A campaign to collect money for influencers’ funeral expenses. The campaign has raised more than $28,000 so far.
In an Instagram post after the deadline, JT appeared to reference the intimate partner violence Gharlala allegedly experienced, writing, “There’s nothing funny about (domestic) violence stories.”
He added that many people in both the gay and straight communities do not take intimate partner abuse seriously and treat it like a “reality show” drama.
In a statement, the family of Gharlala, who lost her son Gharlala’s brother to gun violence last August, thanked those who have extended their support.
“As a family, we appreciate all the prayers, kind thoughts and actions during our bereavement,” the family said. “Right now, I just hope that the fullest extent of justice will be served.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
