DeeDee Hall, a Black Transgender Woman Died 2022 Her Family is Now Suing Police And Paramedics

To bring justice to DeeDee Hall, her family is suing the city of Dallas and the several officers and paramedics involved with her case. The family seeks $2 million in damages from the cause of DeeDee’s death and is also requesting that a jury trial be opened for her case.

Police officers stopped Hall on May 26, 2022, near Garland Road in Texas, not long after her brother Lamon Hall left her alone at a car dealership. DeeDee seemed to be going through a mental health crisis; her brother felt overwhelmed and walked out without her. Police officers were called because someone reported that a person was causing a disturbance. What could have been an opportunity for Hall to receive proper mental health assistance quickly turned into a devastating situation, ultimately leading to her death.

Hall’s family revealed that she suffered with “bipolar schizophrenia.” According to recorded body cam footage from the officers, they initially approached her cautiously, referring to her as a woman. Hall seemed to get more distressed, eventually taking off her clothes in front of the officers. It was at that moment that police officers started to react improperly and inflict force on Hall, which led to them forcing her to the ground and kneeling on her back to restrain her. Once they were able to “constrain her,” they put Hall on a gurney and then placed her into the ambulance with a “spit cover” over her.

The ride lasted a total of 16 minutes, and 47-year-old DeeDee Hall was pronounced dead upon arrival at Baylor University Medical Center.

Hall’s family expressed concern over how the officers and paramedics involved that day handled Hall’s mental health crisis, as well as how some of their remarks about her identity were very inconsiderate. During the ambulance recordings, some of the paramedics made ignorant remarks to Hall, referring to her as “sir” or using pronouns he/him and “jokingly” teasing. Hall had been yelling out for help, saying she couldn’t breathe. After a couple of minutes, she was completely silent, and one of the paramedics said, “I’d rather have screaming than that.” Hall did not respond, and she stopped moving.

When autopsy reports came back from Dallas County Medical Center, they initially informed Hall’s family that the cause of death was an accident due to the intoxication of cocaine, methamphetamines, and PCP found in her body. Hall’s family decided to have a forensic pathologist, Dr. Juan Luis Zamora, conduct an independent autopsy. Zamora discovered that Hall did, in fact, pass away as a result of heart failure after 16 minutes of screaming for help under the hood. He stated, “Hall was a normally developed individual who died after a strenuous physical activity that lasted, with no rest, for 16 minutes.”

Two years later, Hall’s family is filing a lawsuit, accusing the officers and paramedics of using excessive force and neglecting her as she screamed for help, as well as gender identity discrimination. The family is also asking that they open a jury trial in hopes of bringing rightful justice and full accountability to those involved with her death. Although Dallas Fire Rescue did not explicitly state the paramedic’s name, they claimed to have suspended their credentials. On the other hand, Dallas police did publicly reveal that the officers involved were Jon Leach, Alan Hovis, Benjamin Lambourne, and Brandon Pryor.

The family attorney, Justin A. Moore, anticipates helping bring justice to Hall and her family, as he is in charge of representing this case and claiming this lawsuit is a violation of Hall’s rights. “At the very least, this paramedic should be charged with criminally negligent homicide. The police officer should be charged with that as well,” he  added. “The autopsy shows quite clearly and explicitly that this paramedic and this officer had more than enough time to save Dee Dee if they had responded to her pleas for help.”

Moore spoke for Hall’s family in a press release from the Dallas Morning News, demanding systemic changes such as proper training for the Dallas Police and paramedics to be able to handle mental health crises and the “respectful treatment of all individuals, regardless of their gender identity.”

Reports of hate crimes against transgender people have shown that transgender people of color are six times more likely to experience excessive force or violence from the police. The death of Hall and other transgender women of color unites the LGBTQ+ community and underscores the need for systemic changes to improve the treatment of trans women of color when involved in ssituations with the police or, like in Hall’s case, with paramedics as well.