Balloon release for 19-year-old aspiring nurse killed by Walmart coworker

COVINGTON, Ga. - A Covington family is heartbroken after their daughter was shot and killed inside their home by her coworker on Friday.

What we know:

On Sunday, they wanted to celebrate her spirit. They started a series of 19 balloon releases: one for each year of Akeela Clarke’s life.

"This, this is heartbreaking," said Danielle Roddy, who said she thought of Akeela Clarke as her own daughter.

Family and friends plan to gather here every night to release balloons and comfort each other to celebrate the achievements of 19-year-old Clarke—who had big dreams of becoming a labor and delivery nurse.

Her death, loved ones said, is hard to grasp, knowing how loving Akeela was.

What they're saying:

"She'll give you her last dollar, if she had it. She'll give you everything she has honestly," said Nathalia Edwards, who wants to be a pediatrician and made plans to build a medical practice with Clarke when they finished school.

"Akeela was like a sister to me, and she was at my house like every day," said Domonique Roddy. "I honestly didn't want to release my balloon, but I did it for her, and I miss her a lot."

Domonique Roddy wanted to hold onto her balloon because Akeela was like her big sister, someone she never wanted to lose, and someone who became a daughter to Danielle Roddy.

"I lost my daughter to gun violence, July 22nd. Da’menica … that was her [Akeela’s] best friend. They were thick as thieves. That was her best friend. And, Akeela come to my house every other day. I drop her off at work at night, you know. She come, we go to church. We do all of that," said Roddy.

Roddy said Akeela was helping her family heal after losing Da’menica, but now, they’ll be there for the Clarke’s.

"She was the person who came and did the first balloon release at my house for my child. You know what I mean? This is her thing. This is what she does. She's so thoughtful. It's my honor to do that same thing for her," said Roddy.

Roddy is now working with the sheriff to create a program to spread awareness to stop gun violence in her community. She said she hopes no other families have to feel her heartbreak.

"I hate that it's like this, you know. But they together. She was her best friend. And it's just sad. It's sad. And we’ve got to do better as a community. We’ve got to do better guys. We have to do better," said Roddy.

Akeela’s family started a GoFundMe to help cover the unexpected funeral expenses, and if you would like to help, click here.

The other side:

In breaking news Sunday evening, the Newton County Sheriff's Office confirmed the man who killed Akeela and her coworkers has died.

Ryan Bradley, a surviving victim, remains in stable condition.