16-Year-Old Girl Killed In East Bay Officer-Involved Shooting Identified
HAYWARD (CBS SF) -- Police in Hayward confirmed Wednesday afternoon that the person killed in the officer-involved shooting during a police chase that ended near CSU East Bay Tuesday was a 16-year-old girl who lived in Antioch.
The victim has been identified as 16-year-old Ebbie Mondragon. Her cousin says Mondragon had recently confided in her that she was pregnant.
She was a passenger in the car Fremont police officers chased to an apartment complex in Hayward early Tuesday evening.
Family and friends gathered Wednesday night for an impromptu vigil at Knoll Park in Antioch.
Hayward police said that at 5:20 p.m. on Tuesday Fremont police detectives who were in Hayward located a vehicle that had been reported stolen and was wanted in connection with multiple armed robberies in Fremont and throughout the Bay Area.
According to police, the detectives attempted to stop the vehicle at the City View apartment complex at 25200 Carlos Bee Blvd., near the California State University, East Bay campus. As they approached and contacted the suspects inside the vehicle, the driver suddenly drove into the detective's police vehicles, injuring two Fremont police detectives.
"When they go to contact the vehicle the driver, the vehicle takes off, rams the detectives vehicle," said Hayward Police Sgt. Ryan Cantrell. "The detectives return fire, trying to strike the driver of the vehicle."
But the bullets struck the 16-year-old girl.
The vehicle continued to drive out of the apartment complex, but eventually crashed near the intersection of Campus Drive and Oakes Drive, police said.
One male suspect allegedly fled the vehicle on foot and remains at large. He is described as a black man, heavy build, 5 feet 10 inches tall, with short hair, police said.
Another male and a second female occupant of the vehicle, identified as Mondragon's cousin, Airieanna Cabrera, were taken into custody near the scene without further incident.
The 16-year-old girl who was struck by gunfire was treated by the Hayward Fire Department at the scene and then transported to a trauma center, where she died of her injuries, police said.
"It was a bit of a priority to put them under arrest," said Cantrell. "What unfolded in the aftermath of trying to detain them was a tragic incident. But it's one of the risks when you try to arrest high risk suspects. Those things can happen."
Police did not confirm whether Mondragon was involved in any of the armed robberies that were being investigated.
Cabrera attended the vigil and told reporters what happened inside the vehicle.
"I just heard gunshots. And I didn't really think anybody got hit in the car until my cousin grabbed her left side ... and she started screaming ... She said, 'I can't ... I can't take it. I can't take it.' And then her head just likem, falls," Cabrera said.
Miguel Minjares is Mondragon's uncle and said, "The idea that someone we love ... and is part of our family ... still is a part of our family ... she just won't be here no more."
Family members say Ebbie was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. And they don't think she should have been shot. They questioned why police shot at the car if it was being driven away from them and no longer a threat to their safety.
The two Fremont police detectives who were injured were treated and released from a local hospital.
University officials issued a shelter in place for the nearby student housing complex University Village, located at 25400 Carlos Bee Blvd., but it was later lifted. Classes at the University weren't affected and people on the campus weren't at risk, university officials said.
Hayward police said they're still investigating the incident and the Alameda County District Attorney's Office is also conducting an investigation.
Hayward police said anyone with information about the incident should call Det. Steve Riley at (510) 293-7034 or email HaywardPDTips@hayward-ca.gov.
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