Three alleged members of the Fremont Sureño gang have been charged in connection with the tragic death of a 5-year-old girl in a drive-by shooting in the San Francisco Bay Area last week. Eliyanah Crisostomo was fatally struck by gunfire while traveling with her family to dinner on Interstate 880 near Milpitas.
Eliyanah was reportedly seated beside her brother when a bullet hit her heart. The suspects, identified as Humberto Anaya, Kristo Ayala Valderrama, and Emmanuel Sarango, are alleged gang members who mistakenly believed that Eliyanah’s family was driving a rival gang’s vehicle. The trio then displayed gang signs and opened fire on the child’s family.
Expressing her condolences to Eliyanah’s family, District Attorney Pamela Price stated in a news release that such violence is utterly unacceptable, and young children should not have to face such danger on Bay Area freeways.
Anaya, Valderrama, and Sarango have each been charged with murder and shooting at an occupied vehicle. It remains unclear whether they have legal representation to speak on their behalf.
Following the shooting, the suspects’ red Honda Accord was located in Santa Cruz, leading to their arrest. The trio is also being investigated for their involvement in a separate incident in Fremont, approximately 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Milpitas. In this incident, they allegedly fired at a victim but failed to hit them.