(KRON) — Three suspects are in custody in connection to the freeway shooting death of a 5-year-old girl last weekend, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office confirmed. Eliyanah Crisostomo was riding with her family on the I-880 near Fremont last Saturday when she was shot and killed.
The family was on their way to dinner at a steakhouse in Milpitas when another car allegedly pulled up to the victim’s car and fired shots. One of those shots hit Eliyanah, who reportedly died within seconds.
The three suspects, Humberto Anaya, Emmanuel Sarango, and Kristo Ayala, are in custody in connection to the killing. Court records indicate the men were arrested on April 12 in Santa Cruz. All three are charged with one count of murder and seven counts of shooting at an occupied vehicle.
The DA’s office provided more details about the killing on Friday. Eliyanah was sitting in the third-row seat of her family’s car, next to her brother, when the bullet pierced her heart.
“My heart goes out to Eliyanah’s family. There is no reason young children should die on our Bay Area freeways,” said District Attorney Pamela Price. “This behavior is absolutely unacceptable. We will not stand for gun violence and these three defendants will be held accountable for their despicable actions.”
Price’s office said the suspects are members of the Fremont Sureño gang, and they believed the car that the Crisostomo family’s car was a rival gang car. According to Price, the suspects flashed gang signs and fired within the car purposefully.
The DA’s office also said the suspects were also involved in another shooting before they killed Eliyanah. About 15 minutes before Eliyanah was shot, Fremont police responded to the 37000 block of Fremont Boulevard for a reported shooting.
The victim was walking on the street when a red Honda Accord drove by. According to the DA, one of the Accord’s occupants commented on the victim’s red clothing before a shot was fired at the victim.
The victim was not injured. A red Honda Accord is also the suspect car in Eliyanah’s killing, and a red Accord was found in Santa Cruz where the suspects were arrested.
