On April 8th, a tragic incident occurred on Interstate 880 in Fremont, California, when five-year-old Eliyanah Crisostomo was fatally shot in her car. Eliyanah was en route to a birthday celebration with her family when the incident took place around 6:40 pm.
A California Highway Patrol officer from the San Jose Area office was attending to other vehicles nearby when the family approached to report the shooting. The young girl was rushed to a local hospital, but sadly, she was pronounced dead.
The family was heading to the Outback restaurant in Milpitas to celebrate a birthday when the tragedy occurred. Eliyanah’s life was cut short approximately 30 seconds after the shooting, as stated by her relatives. A family friend created a GoFundMe page to help support the grieving family.
That same night, Fremont police were investigating another incident on Fremont Boulevard.
Authorities believe the shooting that claimed Eliyanah’s life was gang-related, with the intended target left unharmed.
Later, three suspects linked to the earlier Fremont Boulevard shooting were apprehended after a pursuit, during which a firearm was thrown from their vehicle. The chase ended when the suspect driver stopped on Highway 17.
On April 15th, a media update revealed that the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office had charged three gang members from Fremont with Eliyanah’s murder. Humberto Anaya, Kristo Ayala Valderrama, and Emmanuel Alex Sarango each face one count of murder and seven counts of shooting at an occupied vehicle. Additionally, the trio faces felony assault charges in connection with the earlier Fremont incident, where a pedestrian was targeted but was unharmed.