CHP looking for information into fatal Milpitas freeway shooting of 5-year-old girl
The shooting happened on the southbound lanes of I-880 near Dixon Landing Road, temporarily closing lanes, authorities said
MILPITAS, Calif. (KGO) -- All southbound lanes of Interstate 880 have reopened in Fremont after an investigation by the California Highway Patrol shut down the roadway for several hours.
SKY7 was over the scene as investigators looked for evidence related to the fatal shooting of 5-year-old Eliyanah.
Authorities were seen walking on the freeway.
VIDEO: SB I-880 closed on Fremont, Milpitas border due to investigation, CHP says
Meanwhile, the Santa Clara Unified School District released a statement on Tuesday following the tragic death of Eliyanah.
"We are devastated by the tragic and senseless loss of young Eliyanah - our hearts are with her family, friends, and the Central Park community. We deployed a district crisis team this morning to support her fellow students and their families, as well as our staff, and have increased counseling support for her school community for as long as needed. We are all heartbroken to lose such a bright young soul as Eliyanah and Santa Clara Unified joins her family, friends, and community in their grief and will be there to support them through this difficult time." - Dr. Gary Waddell, Superintendent
This is a breaking news update. Previous story down below.
The California Highway Patrol is looking for information into the deadly freeway shooting of a 5-year-old girl on Saturday in Milpitas.
It happened on I-880 near Dixon Landing Road while the family was on their way to dinner.
The young girl's family tells ABC7 that Eliyanah would have turned six on April 21.
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Friends say that the 5-year-old and her family were on their way to Outback Steakhouse in Milpitas Saturday.
Just before 7 p.m., as they drove along I-880, a vehicle pulled up and someone inside that car started shooting.
ORIGINAL REPORT: 1 injured following shooting on Milpitas freeway, CHP says
"We had an officer that was on an unrelated traffic stop on the side of I-880 in the vicinity of Fremont area, approached about 6:40 p.m. by the victim's family," said CHP Lt. Shawna Pacheco. "They said that their daughter had been shot. So the 5-year-old girl was transported to a local area hospital and unfortunately succumbed to her injuries."
The CHP is still investigating and has not released any information on a suspect.
This was just one of two separate shootings that multiple agencies across the East Bay and South Bay are investigating.
Before the deadly shooting that killed Eliyanah, Fremont police said they were contacted by a pedestrian who said that a car pulled up to them and shot at that person after some kind of confrontation. That call came in at 6:37 p.m.
Hours later, after a pursuit on Highway 17, Santa Cruz police stopped a car with three people they believe were connected to the Fremont shooting.
All three were arrested.
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The CHP is not making any connection at this time, between the Fremont shooting and deadly freeway shooting.
Santa Clara University Professor Dr. Thomas Plante says there really isn't a particular profile of someone who might shoot in a public place like a roadway.
"Certainly, impulse control is a variable. Another variable is people who are influenced by those around them, egging them on to do something," he said. "The third is people that don't have any feel for other people, lack of empathy for variety of reasons, that just doesn't seem to be part of their skill set."
As for 5-year-old Eliyanah, her family says she was looking forward to Easter and was excited about her upcoming birthday.
She was close to her siblings, especially her brother who was only 11 months in age apart from her.
CHP urges anyone with dashcam footage or other information to come forward by calling its tip line at 707-917-4491.
Friends of the family have started a GoFundMe page for those interested in helping.
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