Gang members charged with murder in fatal I-880 shooting of 5-year-old, DA says

ByDan Noyes and Zach Fuentes KGO logo

Saturday, April 15, 2023

Gang members charged in fatal I-880 shooting of 5-year-old: DAThree gang members were charged with murder in the fatal shooting of 5-year-old Eliyanah on Interstate 880 in Milpitas, the DA's office said.

MILPITAS, Calif. (KGO) -- Three gang members were charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a 5-year-old girl on Interstate 880 in Milpitas, the Alameda County District Attorney's Office said in a press release Friday.

The DA's office said Humberto Anaya, Kristo Ayala Valderrama and Emmanuel Sarango were each charged with one count of murder, and seven counts each of shooting at an occupied vehicle. They were also charged with felony assaults from an unrelated incident earlier that day in Fremont.

CHP investigators now say the shooting that killed a 5-year-old girl along I-880 Saturday night, took place in the "Fremont area" of the interstate.

"My heart goes out to Eliyanah's family. There is no reason young children should die on our Bay Area freeways," said Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. "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 ABC7 I-Team has obtained exclusive new information about what led up to the killing of 5-year-old Eliyanah on Interstate 880 South near Fremont this past Saturday.

At 6:25 pm, Fremont police responded to a shooting on Fremont Boulevard. A man said he was walking when three Sureno gang members approached in a car and said, "Looks like you're wearing too much red (the color of the rival Norteno gang)." The men got out of the Honda Accord and two of them opened fire on the victim as he ran. He escaped unharmed.

A source identifies the defendants as Ayala, the driver, Humberto Anaya and Emmanuel Sarango; and says they were arraigned this morning at the East County Hall of Justice in Dublin.

Fifteen minutes after the shooting in Fremont, the defendants are driving southbound I-880 when they spot the family's SUV. Eliyanah sits with her brother in the third row, along with her mother, father, grandmother and her half-brother, all headed to Outback Steakhouse in Milpitas. The defendants began yelling at the victim's father "Fremont Trece!" - a reference to their Suerno gang in Fremont. They opened fire striking the SUV three times. One bullet hit Eliyanah in the chest. The family was able to spot a CHP officer on the right shoulder south of Dixon Landing; he called an ambulance.

Three-and-a-half hours later, Santa Cruz Police say they got a hit on their license plate reader for the suspect's red Honda identified at the first shooting. After a short pursuit, they stopped the car, made arrests, and recovered 9mm and .45 cal firearms.