Authorities on Monday issued an update on the shooting death of a 5-year-old girl on an East Bay freeway earlier this month.
Calling the April 8 killing of Eliyanah Crisostomo on Interstate 880 in Fremont a senseless crime, police and prosecutors laid out how they connected the three suspects to the shooting.
"These are bad people, and I am grateful they are no longer in our communities causing harm," Fremont police Chief Sean Washington said.
The California Highway Patrol and Fremont police said the three suspects – Humberto Anaya, Kristo Ayala and Emmanuel Sarango – shot at a man in Fremont on that Saturday because he was wearing red.
Investigators said the men missed and sped off in a red Honda, but security cameras captured the license plate.
The CHP said just 15 minutes later, the same suspects fired multiple times at an SUV on I-880 driving southbound, allegedly flashing gang signs before shooting.
Inside the SUV was Eliyanah and her family members, all on their way to a birthday party. A bullet struck Eliyanah in the chest. Her 7-year-old brother next to her was not hit. The parents stopped seconds later when they saw a CHP officer on the side of the freeway, but Eliyanah didn't make it.
"The individuals that did this, it’s utterly disgusting that they would do something of this nature to such a beautiful young girl and the family members who had to be there to see it happen," CHP Golden Gate Division Chief Ezery Beauchamp said.
The CHP credited fast police work and technology for catching the suspects. Police in Santa Cruz spotted the car with the same license plate three hours after the shooting and pulled it over after a short chase.
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Investigators said they found a gun at the scene and collected more evidence in the following days, including during an extensive foot search on I-880 last week.
"We want to prevent incidents like this from happening, but when they do, we’re going to do everything we can to solve them," Beauchamp said.
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price said, for now, the three men each face 42 years to life in prison for six charges of firing into an occupied vehicle and murder.
"We also understand that there’s additional evidence and information that we’re evaluating so additional charges may be brought at a future time," Price said.
