Mistaken identity causes confusion after Durham crash

Investigators said the wreck happened on South Miami Boulevard near Cornwalis Road at about 1:30 a.m.

A few hours later, police issued a correction saying Shyquan Devonte Davis, of Durham, was killed. Davis was driving a 2003 Honda Accord north on South Miami Boulevard when he lost control of his car, hit a curb and spun across the road.

Davis' car collided with a 2015 Toyota Corolla driven by Tiffany Nicole Medlin, 26, of Clayton.

The force of the collision sheared the Accord in half, investigators said. The front half of the car continued across southbound lanes and struck a 2012 Nissan Altima driven by 21-year-old Brandon Lee Warren, of Durham.

Davis was thrown from his car following the wreck and pronounced dead the scene, police said. Medlin was taken to the hospital for the treatment of serious injuries. Warren was not hurt.

"He was so much to so many people and he livened up a room like no other," said Jennifer Brewer, Davis' aunt. "Everybody he saw and met he fell in love with them and they fell in love with him."

Both the Anders and Davis families say they do not understand how authorities got the two names mixed up.

"I feel like I can understand how they feel because my family is actually going through the same thing, but it wasn't reality," Hassan Anders said. "I can imagine theirs is a reality and they know it is a reality and it has to hurt."

Authorities blocked off part of South Miami Boulevard for about six hours following the wreck. An investigation is ongoing, but police said speed was a factor.

Police have not yet said what led to the confusion.