CLEBURNE, Texas — An 18-year-old woman was shot and killed Sunday afternoon, according to Cleburne Police.
CPD says the shooting happened around 1 p.m. on Sunday in the 500 block of Poindexter Ave. After the woman was shot, she was taken to another location, according to Cleburne PD.
Police found the woman, who was a passenger in a white SUV, at the other location. She had been shot and was taken to a local hospital, where she died, according to CPD.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's office identified the victim as Kaylee Merchant of Cleburne.
Patty Lockridge and Jillissa Feaster, a mother and daughter, told WFAA they considered Merchant as a part of their family. According to the family friends, Merchant lived with them for around four years.
"It's real hard. Something I'm not gonna be able to recover from," Feaster said.
She told WFAA she considered Merchant a sister. The two spoke daily, and had their last conversation the night before Merchant was killed.
According to Feaster, Merchant would've turned 19 next month. She would soon get her driver license and wanted to save enough money to purchase her own car.
"You're not gonna find another Kaylee. There's no one that can match her personality. She was just goofy, she’d always make you laugh," Feaster said.
Merchant's family friends have been emotional ever since they learned of her death.
"It's really hard to let her go," Lockridge said. "I hope that she gets justice. That whoever did it pays for what they did."
The suspect in this shooting fled before officers arrived, police said. Cleburne police have identified the suspect Giovanni Jimenez Diaz, 20, of Cleburne.
Diaz was arrested on Sept. 13 by the Cleburne Police Department. He was booked at the Johnson County Jail on murder charges.
A candlelight vigil is being held on Sunday, Sept. 15 at Hulen Park in Cleburne starting at 6 p.m.
Police said their investigation is ongoing.