Slain Houston woman's friends say 'would never expect' for her to be 'brutally' killed in apartment

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Houston Police Department identified the woman shot and killed Friday night at the 1711 Caroline Apartments as 34-year-old Vanity Williams.

Williams' friends said they don't understand why anyone would want to kill her.

"I would never expect that someone would want to brutally murder her that way," Hope Giselle, Williams' friend, said.

Giselle is still reeling from the news she got a week ago - that Williams was shot multiple times in her apartment lobby and died.

"She created and made a safe space for everybody, so to think that someone would want to hurt her and have a justified reason is something I cannot fathom," Giselle said.

Giselle said Williams is bigger than the tragic circumstances surrounding her death. She was an Air Force veteran and had recently returned to nursing school with dreams of opening a med spa.

"She was always so funny and had something upbeat to say. Even if she wasn't feeling her best, she would always make you smile or laugh," Giselle said.

Williams is credited for being passionate about lifting the Black community and women. Described as fiercely loyal, her tribe said her straight-to-the-point personality is already missed

"She had a really dope personality outside of just being able to have really educated conversation and speak truth to power about what it means to be a woman, what it means to be a woman of color," Giselle said.

Police have not been able to provide any other details and just said her case is an active investigation.

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