The Alameda County District Attorney's Office charged three Fremont gang members with murder Friday in the shooting on I-880 that killed a 5-year-old girl last Saturday.
Humberto Anaya, Kristo Ayala Valderrama and Emmanuel Alex Sarango were each charged with one count of murder in the death of Eliyanah Crisostomo and seven counts of shooting at an occupied vehicle.
The DA's office described the men as Sureño gang members from Fremont and said they fired into the car Eliyanah was riding in with her family because they believed it was a rival gang car. The incident happened between Fremont and Milpitas. The DA's office said Eliyanah was riding in the third-row seat, next to her brother, when the bullet pierced through her heart.
A semiautomatic gun was used in the incident, according to court records.
“My heart goes out to Eliyanah’s family. There is no reason young children should die on our Bay Area freeways,” District Attorney Pamela Price said in a statement. “This behavior is absolutely unacceptable. We will not stand for gun violence and these three defendants will be held accountable for their despicable actions.”
The three men are also facing charges of felony assault in relation to an assault earlier that day in Fremont. Prosecutors say in that incident they shot at a pedestrian in Fremont but no one was injured.