Drive-by killer claims life of Durham teen

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She was "a good, happy little girl," a caring sister and friend, killed by a bullet police think was likely meant for someone else.

Shakanah China had just turned 13 and was looking forward to summer when she was killed Tuesday night as she played with her siblings and texted on her new cellphone in the driveway of her home.

Police had no suspects and were searching for the van that witnesses say pulled up just off the cul-de-sac at Atka Court in eastern Durham just before 7:30 p.m. Someone fired several shots before driving away on Holloway Street.

"There's nothing to indicate that a 13-year-old would be the [intended] target of a shooting," Police Chief Jose Lopez Sr. said Wednesday.

Police are still examining evidence and trying to identify and interview witnesses, he added. "This has been a very shocking and stressful situation for many, and it may take them a moment to come forward."

Mayor Bill Bell said the city will put "a very, very high priority on finding the people responsible."

Shakanah was hit after the second shot and stumbled into her mother's arms, witnesses said.

"We seen a green van and didn't pay it any attention. It came back about 30 minutes later and started shooting," said Demetriss China, the girl's mother. "The first bullet missed her. The second hit her. She died in my hands."

Shakanah was pronounced dead at Duke Hospital.

Friends and family say the teen was outgoing, funny and always smiling. She ran track, played baseball and swam, and would look after her 10-month-old brother Jacrek and 5-year-old sister Javonnah. She had a close, extended family and saw her aunts and cousins every day.

"I miss everything about my daughter," China said. "She was a joyful person. She always made you smile."

A temporary move

The family had been living in the Atka Court apartment since November 2009. It was meant to be temporary until China, a single mother who works two jobs, could find a better place.

"I'm not staying here no more," said China, 28.

The neighborhood is rough, neighbors say. About half of the gray apartment buildings in the complex off Rochelle Street are vacant and set to be auctioned in June. There are open windows, peeling paint and garbage outside the empty buildings. Rents start around $450, residents said.

A lot of families live in the complex and gang members hang out and sell drugs in some of the same areas where children play, said neighbors.

"They really need to tear everything down," said Laresha King, Shakanah's aunt. "I just don't get it, for her to be a such a happy child and her life to be taken, I just don't get it."

Tisha McMillan, 33, lives next door and saw the shooting.

The gunshots were quiet, but she could see the green, older-model Ford Windstar or Chevrolet Astro van, and the gun, which was in some kind of neon yellow wrapping, she said.

McMillan said Shakanah was on the driveway, bouncing a ball and texting on the phone she got for her birthday last month. The family had just gotten home from her grandfather's funeral and Shakanah had changed out of her Sunday clothes, she said.

Gang problems

The homicide was Durham's ninth this year, compared to 11 last year at this time.

The last homicide on Atka Court was in 1995, but police calls there are common, according to police records. In 2009 a 16-year-old girl was shot by a 17-year-old boy on Atka Court but survived.

Neighbors and family members say the shooting was most likely gang related, but said they don't know why a gang member would shoot at children.

"This is between the Crips and the Bloods. She was an innocent victim," said Diane Billings, Shakanah's grandmother. "They ain't nothing but cowards. Come forward and turn yourself in. God knows who you are."

Neighbors said they see police in the area, but that particularly after Shakanah's death, they don't feel safe.

"I just feel like kids can't play outside without feeling a bullet won't just hit them," said Keisha Leach, 30, who lives nearby with her six kids. "It's just crazy. They're taking over."

The shooting has highlighted an ongoing problem of individuals who see violence as a way to solve issues, Chief Lopez said.

"We need this community to realize that if they know individuals who shouldn't have guns and have guns, that they need to come forward and let us know so we can look into it and get them off the street," he said.

Family and friends gathered Wednesday on Shakanah's driveway, remembering the girl who was responsible and hardworking, and always playing with her siblings.

"We called her "little funny child," Billings said. "She was a good, happy little girl. She loved her family and her cellphone. She had a pretty smile and was a blessing from the Lord."

Alternative school

Shakanah had recently transferred to Lakeview School, an alternative school for students with behavioral problems or who have been referred by the court system, because she was having problems with a teacher at Neal Middle School, King said.

The mood at the school was somber Wednesday after the 200 students and 36 educators found out about the shooting.

Braima Moiwai, who teaches cultural arts, said Shakanah was quiet and well-mannered. "I would see her in the halls and wonder, 'why are you here?'" he said.

Principal Jeffrey Dockery didn't know her well. "She flew under the radar here, which is always a good thing," he said.

Dockery, who has been at Lakeview since 2009, learned of the shooting Tuesday night and said his first thought was "oh no, not again."

"During my time here, we have dealt with kids who met violent ends, and most of them did not contribute to their own demise," he said. "There have been 10 plus, easy. I don't even count them anymore."

For Shakanah, the move was temporary, said King, her aunt. She was never involved in any crime or gang activity, and wanted to be a nurse, King said.

Right before she died, she was saying how excited she was to be going back to Neal in the fall, said Jsnae King, a cousin who is also 13.

Jsnae saw Shakanah every day and said her cousin was a good listener and always gave good advice.

"We were like sisters, we told each other everything," she said. "We always had something to talk about."

Staff Writers Amy Dunn, Thomasi McDonald and Jim Wise and photojournalist Chuck Liddy contributed to this report.