North Texans remember dedicated church volunteer killed in Fort Worth road rage shooting

Mecoyia Jones said she had years of stories about Latavia Davis, and she wanted people to know Davis was more than a murder victim.

"Never in a million years would I say that someone that I know was murdered because of road rage. Never," Jones said.

Jones, the daughter of the pastors who oversee The Vision Church of Fort Worth, said Davis was called "TT" – a complimentary mix of fire, goodness, and quietness – who would read scriptures from the podium when asked. 

According to Jones, Davis sang in the youth choir, worked with the children's ministry, and did outreach for the unsheltered. She was becoming a servant, stepping up whenever help was needed at the small church on Mansfield Avenue.

Davis had a sister and two younger brothers, Jones said. She was also a teacher's aide at E. Ray Elementary School in Everman ISD until Thursday morning. 

Fort Worth police said Patrick Lawrence was leaving an apartment near South Hulen Street and I‑20 when he got into an incident with Davis.

The 37‑year‑old told police Davis was tailgating him and cut him off on the roadway. Police said he pulled out a 9mm gun, shot at the vehicle, and then drove to work in Justin. The single shot he told police he fired, according to court documents, did not give Davis the chance to survive.

"Devastating just doesn't do it justice. She was someone who planned," Jones said. "And so to know that the plans that she had for herself and to know that those won't get to come to fruition now, it's the person who took her life did the world an injustice, taking her away from us."

Lawrence was arrested and faces a murder charge. But Davis' loved ones feel as if they've been sentenced to the unthinkable, especially her family.

"They're not good," she said. "Some moments are easier than other moments, but overall, her family, I don't want to say that they're broken, but I can't think of a better word."

Police said a witness's dashcam was instrumental in Lawrence's arrest. Officers used information from the footage to track him down. In the affidavit, police said he allowed them to search his vehicle after he confessed, and they found a gun.

When Jones' parents gather on Sunday at The Vision Church of Fort Worth, one of their faithful will be missing.

"It's going to be hard. She sat in the same spot every Sunday with her Bible and her notebook," Jones said. "And to go in and to know that she's no longer going to fill that seat, it just doesn't feel right."

Jones said Davis loved children but did not have any.

CBS News Texas will provide updates as more information becomes available.