Family, friends hold vigil for slain Lakeland family

LAKELAND, Fla. — Family and friends gathered to remember the three people who were shot and killed in a Lakeland home on Monday.

Posters, balloons, and flowers lined the fence around the home on Old Highway 37 Wednesday evening.

Family and friends left messages and lit candles to remember Danyala Smith, Miranda Mims and Nikosi Williams.

The daughter of one of the victims said it's still hard to believe they're gone.

“It seems like I can just walk right in my home and, you know, say hi to them. But I know in the back of my head I can't,” Channell Walters said.

The accused killer, David Smith, was found 500 miles away in Knoxville.

Investigators said Smith shot and killed himself when swat team members surrounded the motel where he was hiding.

Smith's mother said her son suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, but investigators have not released a motive for the killings.

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