UPDATE: Toddler dies after being struck by gunfire on Interstate 880 on Oakland
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- A rolling gun battle between two cars on the jammed packed I-880 freeway in Oakland Saturday afternoon left an innocent toddler dead after he was struck by a stray bullet while riding in a third, uninvolved passing vehicle, according to the California Highway Patrol.
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The victim's aunt said the mother was driving in a white Lexus sedan in the southbound direction of I-880 from San Francisco back home to Fremont Saturday around 2:10 p.m. Other relatives were also in the car, including three kids sitting in the back.
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The aunt said as they reached downtown Oakland, all of a sudden, a single shot hit the baby.
She emotionally identified the young boy as 23-month-old Jasper Wu.
First responders rushed the baby to Oakland Children's Hospital but doctors could not save him. The aunt said the stray bullet hit him in the head. Distraught family members gathered at the hospital in tears.
The CHP and Oakland police shut down northbound I-880 for a couple of hours, triggering a massive traffic backup
Investigators said evidence recovered from the freeway indicated there was a rolling gun battle between at least two cars in the northbound direction. Somehow, a bullet hit Jasper who was in a vehicle travelling in the southbound direction.
Detectives hadn't released any suspect information or a motive in the rolling gun battle. KPIX 5 learned one suspect vehicle was a dark color Chrysler 300.
Detectives are requesting assistance from the public and anyone with information is asked to call the CHP investigation tip line at (707) 917-4491.
© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Bay City News contributed to this report