It has been ten whole days since I wrote about the murder of a trans woman of color.

The respite couldn't last.

In the early evening on Thursday Zella Ziona, 21, was walking in an alleyway between two shopping centers in Montgomery Village, Maryland when she was surrounded by four or five teenagers. According to a witness, one of the youths pulled out a gun and shot Ziona in the head.

Zella was rushed to a hospital, where she died.

Police initially identified the victim as a woman, but by later in the evening insisted on misgendering and dead-naming her. As usual, the media followed suit.

An impromptu vigil took place last night.

She was just amazing. When Zella's around, there's not a single frown in the room.

Zella was like a second mother to my daughter, who keeps asking, "Where's Zella?

--Barbie Johnson

Ziona's quiet bravery in the face of people who did not understand her will always be an inspiration to Johnson, she said. Friend Jasmine Black also called Ziona an inspiration, saying she only had openly identified as transgender in the past seven months.

She just wanted to embrace her life. She wanted to show the world how to be transgender. She helped people. She inspired someone else named Chris to be himself.

--Black

No information about a suspect was released immediately. Witnesses saw a group of four of five young men near Ziona and heard what sounded like arguing. One witness told News4 he heard gunshots and then chased the shooter -- who was on foot -- with his car.

[I] blew my horn, stayed on my horn long enough to get his attention, and then he looked up and took off running,

--A man named Joe

This is a horrific crime and a tragedy for those who knew Zella. As with all homicides in Montgomery County, we have detectives working around the clock to thoroughly and completely investigate this murder.

--Chief J. Thomas Manger

Yesterday Rico Hector LeBlond was arrested at the Germantown Transit Center and taken into custody without incident. LeBlond apparently had some acquaintance with Zella. He has been charged with 1st degree murder.

Zella was the 21st trans woman to be murdered this year. Nineteen of them have been trans women of color.