Three gang members were charged with murder Friday in connection with last weekend's shooting on Interstate 880 in Fremont that left a 5-year-old girl dead, according to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office.
Humberto Anaya, Kristo Ayala Valderrama and Emmanuel Sarango were each charged with one count of murder in the death of Eliyanah Crisostomo, the district attorney's office said. The three suspects were also each charged with seven counts of shooting at an occupied vehicle.
Court records reveal a semiautomatic gun was used in the shooting.
Crisostomo and her family members were driving south on the interstate at about 6:40 p.m. Saturday when bullets came flying into their car, striking and killing Eliyanah.
"My heart goes out to Eliyanah’s family," District Attorney Pamela Price said in a statement. "There is no reason young children should die on our Bay Area freeways. This behavior is absolutely unacceptable. We will not stand for gun violence and these three defendants will be held accountable for their despicable actions."
According to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, the three men are allegedly part of the Fremont Sureño gang. They fired into the car Eliyanah was riding in with her family, believing that it was a rival gang car.
Investigators claimed the men flashed gang signs before firing into the vehicle.
Investigators said the same men are connected to a shooting that happened 15 minutes prior on Fremont Boulevard. In that case, the men allegedly approached a man wearing red clothing and shot at him with a semiautomatic weapon.
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Nobody was hit but all three suspects were ultimately arrested in Santa Cruz in a car that fit the description in both shootings.
The three men are facing multiple charges including murder.
Sarango will be back in court Monday, while the other two suspects are expected to enter a plea on their charges on April 20, just a day before what would have been Eliyanah’s 6th birthday.
A Crisostomo family representative told NBC Bay Area Friday that they want justice for Eliyanah and believe that will happen with these charges. The family added they are now preparing for a funeral and a time they were hoping to be celebrate their daughter’s birthday.
Below are the court documents released in the case.
