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A year later: Family reflects on deadly Greensboro gas station SUV attack

Tammy Tucker said her daughter is no longer in a wheelchair but is still in physical therapy a year after a brutal attack that also killed her niece.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — It's been a year since a gruesome assault at a Greensboro gas station.

Police said two women drove an SUV into a crowd of six people after a fight on Oct. 12, 2019. Zanelle Tucker, 30, died. Another woman had serious injuries. They were cousins. 

Latika Tucker survived after she was run over twice.

Her mother, Tammy Tucker, said she was in a wheelchair for months but started to walk again in January. 

"Today has been a year since the incident," Tammy Tucker said. "My daughter, Latika, is doing the best she can. She is walking. Emotionally, she's still got a lot of work. Spiritually, she’s up. She’s fighting and doing it for her kids."

RELATED: Deadly Greensboro SUV Assault: Accused Women Make Their First Court Appearance, Here’s What Happened

Credit: WFMY News 2
Family and friends remember Zanelle Tucker who was killed after she was hit by an SUV in an attack.

RELATED: 'I'm a Survivor' | Gas Station SUV Attack Victim is in a Wheelchair, Grieving Loss of Her Cousin

Latika Tucker is a mother of two. Tammy Tucker said she can walk and drive again, but she's still in physical therapy.

"She’s walking," Tammy Tucker said. "They gave her six months, but they knew my daughter was strong and she fought and did it quicker than six months."

Credit: Latika Tucker

WFMY News 2's Jess Winters asked Tammy Tucker what the biggest challenge has been over the past year. 

"Not having my niece. Remember, it's something that will never get out of our head. It's a really bad experience but this is the year we want to celebrate her life. Last year was our tragedy,"  she said.

Tammy Tucker looked at a picture of Zanelle Tucker with tears in her eyes. 

"She was so beautiful," she said. "She was just model material, so beautiful inside and out."

Credit: Tammy Tucker

In the midst of grief and her daughter's recovery, Tammy Tucker said she never got the chance to thank the four people who were also hit by the SUV while trying to save the Tucker cousins' lives. 

"I want to say thank you because you chose to put your life in jeopardy and you were hurt too," Tammy Tucker said. "We love you and just thank you to the four people who chose to help my daughter and my niece while everybody else filmed and watched it. I hope you are doing OK."

She had one more message as a mom and aunt who knows heartbreak all too well.

"Hug your family members. You never know what's going to happen when you walk out that door," Tammy Tucker said.

She asked that everyone light a candle in Zanelle's honor on Monday night. 

Zanelle Tucker's immediate family held a private celebration of life in Massachusetts, where she was originally from. 

Meranda Watlington and Fana Felton were charged with first-degree murder and five counts of first-degree attempted murder.

RELATED: Accused Murderer's Mother on SUV Attack at Gas Station: 'Oh God! I'm So Sorry, I'm So Sorry, I'm Numb'

The Guilford County District Attorney's Office said their most recent court dates were canceled in April due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

For the same reason, their next court date isn't scheduled but the DA's office said it will likely be in 2021. 

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