SNELLVILLE, Ga. — A candlelight vigil was held Sunday evening for a 16-year-old South Gwinnett High School student who was tragically killed after being hit by a driver turning into a parking spot earlier this week.
Family, friends and the community gathered to remember and honor the life of Camaya Harris at the Park West Apartments in Snellville at 6 p.m. – the same apartment complex where just days earlier Camaya was heading to the bus stop for her first day of JROTC when she was hit and killed.
"She had her uniform on, she was excited," Camaya's aunt Natalie Hill said.
At the vigil, candles illuminated Camaya's name. Flowers and teddy bears lined the sidewalk and the parking lot where the accident happened just three doors down from her family.
South Gwinnett High School Principal Dorothy Jarrett attended Camaya's vigil along with her JROTC seargeant.
"[Camaya] has made such an impact on all of her peers at South Gwinnett High School, her teachers are distraught. She is a pleasure to have in class," Jarrett said.
Jarrett added that she had texted a couple of her friends to make sure she had the right socks for her JROTC inspection later that day.
"We're going to truly miss her," Jarrett said. "Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers, for they will really need it in these days coming up."
The Snellville Police Department is continuing its investigation into Camaya's death. They have not said if any charges would be filed against the driver who struck her with their car.
Camaya was the oldest of six siblings. Her grandmother Vern Wood said she was everything to their family.
"She had a beautiful smile, any and everything anyone asked her to do, she would do," Wood added. "She just was a fun-loving young lady, just living her life."
