Teen girl died from gunshot wound to chest

A 13-year-old killed in a drive-by shooting last month died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, according to an autopsy report released Friday.

Durham police said Shakanah China was standing outside 7 Atka Court on May 10 when someone reportedly fired several shots from a van.

The report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Chapel Hill found that she had been shot once in the left upper chest and once in the right hand.

Witnesses reported seeing a green, older-model Ford Windstar or Chevrolet Astro van leave the scene. Police later recovered the vehicle but haven't released any other information about the case.

Anyone with information about the shooting should contact the Durham Police Department at 919-560-4440 or Crime Stoppers at 919-683-1200.

Shakanah was a seventh-grader at Lakeview School in Durham who loved to tell jokes and had a smile that could brighten anyone's day, family members said.

A memorial fund has been established to help her family with expenses. Donations can be made at any branch of the State Employees' Credit Union under the name of Diane Hanes.