Vigil honors woman killed days before moving into Habitat home

ARCADIA, Fla. (WINK)—Tanika Summers died just days before moving into her new Habitat for Humanity home.

The community honored Summers at a vigil Tuesday night. Habitat for Humanity told WINK News that Summers was days away from moving into her new home before she was killed.

Friends and family said she was the kindest, most hardworking person they'd ever met. In the midst of this loss, they're rallying together to support the daughter Summers leaves behind.

"All the people that's here, I mean, you can just feel the love, and just feel that she would be happy," a friend said.

This time last week, friends said Summers was planning her housewarming party. One friend fulfilled a promise Summers had asked of her.

"She asked me to sing at her housewarming, and I was reluctant at first, but she told me, you know I want you to do it because I love you like you love me, and I want people to be there for me, that love me, and I hope that she knows that I did it still, just like she asked me to," the friend said.

The home still saw a crowd Tuesday night. The only person missing was Summers.

She was killed days before being able to call this place her own. Her family said they're taking comfort knowing her memory will live on in this community.

"I truly believe that she did all this work and left this legacy for her daughter, you know, she got another home up there in heaven, and this is her daughter's physical home, you understand. And she did that. She just laid the foundation for her daughter," a family member said.

"I just wish she was here right now, but all I know is that she's in a better place and we will all love and miss her very much," another person said.

The family is working with Habitat for Humanity to try to get Summers' daughter a chance to have the home that would've been her mother's.