Update: 5-year-old girl heading to birthday party fatally shot on I-880
FREMONT -- A 5-year-old girl who was heading to a birthday party with her family was struck by gunfire and killed Saturday night in vehicle on Interstate 880 in Fremont.
At approximately 6:40 p.m, an officer assigned to the CHP's San Jose Area office was conducting a traffic enforcement stop on I-880 in the Fremont vicinity. The officer was approached by victims of a freeway shooting who advised that a child in their vehicle was struck by gunfire.
The girl, who the county coroner later identified as Eliyanah Crisostomo, was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced deceased.
UPDATE: Family friend's heartbreaking details of little Eliyanah Crisostomo's tragic death
Investigators shut down portions of I-880 over the next few hours and said Sunday they're still investigating.
"Any death is a tragedy, especially when you're looking at a death of a child this close to a holiday, this close to a birthday. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of this little girl," said CHP Lieutenant Shawna Pacheco said Monday. "One of our CHP officer was on an unrelated traffic stop and was approached by the victim's family saying their daughter had been shot."
According to a GoFundMe page set up by a family friend, Eliyanah was with her family traveling southbound on the 880 to the Outback restaurant in Milpitas for a birthday dinner at the time of the shooting.
A bullet struck the little girl and she passed away within 30 seconds of the incident.
"Eliyanah was a fun-loving little girl who loved life, had a giving heart, close with her three siblings, especially her brother who were 11 months apart," wrote Jeff McGrew. "Both were so excited for Easter before the family was torn to pieces by this tragic event. Eliyanah would have been 6 on the 21st of April."
The CHP has not yet released a description of the suspect vehicle or the shooter in the case.
"We are exhausting every investigative lead and working with allied agencies in order to make sure we build a very strong case," Pacheco said.
According to Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, shots were fired 154 times on Bay Area freeways in 2022.
Price's office is currently considering what charges to pursue in the freeway slaying of another child -- 23-month-old Jasper Wu.
The toddler was fatally struck by a stray bullet as he rode in his parents vehicle during a November 6, 2021 freeway shootout between shooters in two other vehicles.
The three suspects -- Trevor Green, 22, of Richmond; Ivory Bivins, 24, of Vallejo; and Johnny Jackson, 28, of Richmond -- have been charged with murder, shooting at an occupied vehicle, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
A rally is planned in Oakland Monday to protest Price's handling of the case.
Wu's family members worry the three men arrested for the killing won't face jail time. That's why supporters are trying to put pressure on the district attorney.
Devin Fehely contributed to this story.
