Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-Mccray (¨Mabel¨)
Age 4213 Mar 2026
Petersburg, Virginia (USA)
Shot
Shyyell was found with gunshot wounds in a building by first responders. She died at the scene.
Her name was Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-Mccray. She was 42 years old and identified as a Black transgender woman. She died in Petersburg, Virginia.
On March 13, just before 2 a.m., Petersburg Police were called to the 300 block of Elm Street for a reported shooting. First responders entered a home with “an unsecured door” and found Shyyell’s body. Other reports state that Shyyell was found alive with multiple gunshot injuries, but died at the scene.
Shyyell was known as Mabel by her loved ones. She was born and raised in Peterburg, Virginia. She had also lived in Charlotte, North Carolina. She had worked for a LGBTQ bar in Charlotte and worked with Nationz Pageantry system. She ran a catering company and started her own pageant company.
In 2021, Mabel reflected on “the trials and tribulations I had to go through when I transitioned.”
In 2023, Mabel was targeted with racist slurs and bias at a Charlotte bar. She responded with a community advocacy effort to address racism in the LGBTQ community.
But most of her social media is filled with advocacy – posts about community events, outreach she organized to local youth, shared content about neighbors experiencing trials or needing help. She reported information about ICE detentions, missing children, and far too many memorial posts for friends and acquaintances.
She lifted up LGBTQ businesses, shared events, and showered love and appreciation on her pageant community.
Shyyell’s most recent posts described a struggle with depression and stress. She also expressed concern about another recent shooting.
Her Facebook profiles are https://www.facebook.com/shyyel.sanchezmccray and https://www.facebook.com/danna.lewis.142.
https://www.facebook.com/1748pbp/posts/937826482085622/
