Teen Girl Killed In High-Desert Shootout Was A 'Participant': Sheriff

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CA — A 15-year-old teen girl shot and killed Tuesday morning in the high desert during a gunbattle with sheriff's deputies was a participant, San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon D. Dicus announced Wednesday.

"Evidence suggests that Savannah Graziano was a participant in shooting at our deputies," the sheriff said in a released statement.

Graziano's father, Anthony John Graziano, 45, died in the shootout with deputies along Interstate 15 near the Main Street exit in Hesperia. During the firefight, Savannah Graziano got out of the Nissan Frontier the two were traveling in and ran toward deputies — she was wearing tactical gear, according to Dicus.

The teen was wounded by gunfire and was pronounced dead at an area hospital at 11:52 a.m. Tuesday.

One assault-type rifle was found inside the Nissan, next to Anthony Graziano's dead body, according to Dicus' Tuesday news conference, but an update on any additional weapons recovered was not provided.

Dicus said the California Department of Justice was contacted about the incident and may be assuming the primary role in the investigation.

The shootout unfurled after a citizen spotted the Nissan near Barstow and reported it to authorities around 10:25 a.m. Tuesday, Dicus said. A day earlier, the California Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert stating Savannah Graziano was "abducted/taken" by her father. Dicus said the citizen recognized the truck from police photos.

Anthony Graziano was suspected in the killing Monday morning of his 45-year-old wife, Tracy Martinez, near Cypress Elementary School in Fontana. Following the slaying, he fled with his daughter and the Amber Alert was activated across Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties on behalf of the Fontana Police Department.

Fontana police called the case a "domestic violence incident," but did not elaborate on a possible motive for the slaying. The couple was reportedly in the middle of a divorce.

When police caught up with the father and daughter Tuesday morning in the high desert, they led chase from Barstow to Hesperia that included U.S. Route 395, state Route 58 and Interstate 15, Dicus said. Along the way, law enforcement vehicles took fire from the Nissan.

The final firefight erupted along southbound I-15 in Hesperia. The Nissan was boxed in by law enforcement and street barricades — multiple rounds were exchanged.

Photos of the disabled Nissan stuck in desert sand were circulating on news outlets Tuesday. The images showed a yellow tarp across the truck's windshield and a right rear flat tire.

One sheriff's deputy was injured from shrapnel during the gunfight but is expected to survive. Several law enforcement vehicles were damaged by gunfire, according to Dicus.

A SigAlert was issued and all southbound I-15 lanes were closed into Wednesday as investigators processed the scene.