A school community gathered Thursday to remember an educator whose life was cut short. LaTaivia Davis was shot and killed in what police are calling an act of road rage. E. Ray Elementary School Principal Alexis Young said Davis was excited about returning to the classroom this year. “Miss D avis was an Everman graduate, coming back to work in the same district that she grew up in and loved so much,” said Young. “Our theme this year is ‘game on’ and Miss Davis was already ready. Her classroom door was decorated. She was preparing for her students, and you could tell how much she was looking forward to the year ahead.” In front of E. Ray Elementary School, where Davis worked as a teacher’s assistant, balloons were released in her memory. “She was thoughtful, reflective and deeply cared about the work did,” Young said. On Thursday, August 13, Davis was shot and killed while driving. Fort Worth Police say Davis and suspect Patrick Lawrence were traveling eastbound on I-20 in south Fort Worth when, they say, Lawrence shot into Davis’s car. According to an arrest affidavit, Lawrence told officers that he could not see inside Davis’s vehicle because the windows were tinted. He said as Davis passed, he pulled out a 9mm Canik pistol and fired one shot in her direction. Lawrence said that once he saw that his gunshot struck Davis’s front passenger window, he exited the highway and proceeded to work. Lawrence gave consent for his vehicle to be searched and told officers that the gun he fired was still inside the vehicle. The 9mm pistol was recovered and was loaded with ammunition that had characteristics consistent with the casing recovered from the scene of the shooting. He was arrested and charged with murder. Back at the school, a tree with her students’ fingerprints was presented as a piece of art to Davis’s family. “Today we gather with hearts that are heavy, but also hearts that are full,” said Angela Johnson, Crisis and Counseling Coordinator for Everman ISD. “We remember Lataivia, a creative person that saw beauty in the world and helped others learn to see it too.” Students, staff, athletes, and community surrounded Davis’s family, which included her mother, who also works at the school, in agreement about who Davis was and what she meant to so many people. “LaTaivia’s story belongs to the life she lived, the people she loved, the creativity she brought the students, and staff she encouraged and the lives she changed,” said Johnson. Police said investigators are reviewing video evidence of the incident in this case. ...read more read less