Fourth-grader killed in elementary school identified

The father of the fourth-grader who was hit by an SUV at Sugar Mill Elementary School on Friday, May 24, is vowing to “seek justice on her behalf” and is raising money for her memorial and legal fees, a GoFundMe post said.

Keivan Kamaly identified the 10-year-old victim as ShaoLan Kamaly, who was killed “by a reckless driver” at the Port Orange school.

“She took my heart with her,” he writes in the appeal. “My beautiful, smart, talented daughter is gone and no one can do anything about it.”

Keivan Kamaly’s Facebook page states that he is from South Daytona and studied at Daytona State College.

According to police, the fourth-grader was struck and killed as she entered a crosswalk on her bicycle. The early morning crash occurred after the woman driving the SUV had dropped off another student, police said.

The “distraught” driver remained at the scene of the accident and cooperated with police, but was not named or charged, according to Port Orange police. The investigation is ongoing.

Further accidents in the sugar factory

There was no crossing guard at this zebra crossing and parents of other children at the school say the accident area is unsafe.

Police records show there have been at least three accidents in the area in the past five years. In October 2022, a child on a bicycle was struck but suffered “relatively minor injuries.” This happened at a school entrance on Charles Street, west of the scene of Friday’s fatal accident. Another child suffered minor injuries after being struck in the bus turnaround loop in 2021.

The death has shocked the community and sparked outpourings of condolences and some anger from those who had been concerned about traffic at the school.

“It was only a matter of time before something like this happened,” said Haley Starbeck, a mother of two preschoolers and a first-grader in Sugar Mill who helped organize a vigil for the girl Friday night. “It really was, and it’s a sad fact that something bad has to happen for someone to do something.”

A “courageous smile”

ShaoLan “Lana” Kamaly “brought immeasurable joy and light to the world with her infectious smile, her sincere compliments and her endless curiosity” in her magnificent short life, an obituary reads.

“Lana spent most of her childhood reading, writing, composing, acting and, in happier times, twirling around in her favorite dress,” it continues.

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