Pleasanton Man Among 3 Suspected Of Shooting At 5-Year-Girl On Freeway

PLEASANTON, CA — A 25-year-old man from Pleasanton is one of three suspects charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a 5-year-old girl on April 8.

Kristo Ayala Valderrama, whose address is listed as Canyon Meadows Drive in Pleasanton, is charged alongside Humberto Anaya and Emmanuel Sarango of Fremont with a total of 12 felony counts, including murder, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and several counts of shooting at an occupied vehicle, according to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office. All three suspects are in custody at Santa Rita Jail. The DA alleges that the three men are members of the Fremont Sureño gang.

Eliyanah Crisostomo, 5, and five family members were on the way to dinner in Milpitas when gunfire erupted. Prosecutors said the girl was in a third-row seat, sitting next to her brother, when a bullet struck her heart. The family told detectives the men flashed gang signs before they began shooting.

"My heart goes out to Eliyanah's family," Alameda County DA Pamela Price said in a statement. "There is no reason young children should die on our Bay Area freeways. This behavior is absolutely unacceptable. We will not stand for gun violence and these three defendants will be held accountable for their despicable actions."

Prosecutors also linked the three men to another Fremont shooting, reported just 15 minutes prior. In that incident, investigators said the men pulled up to someone walking on Fremont Boulevard and commented on their red clothes. Two left the car and shot at the victim as he ran away. He was uninjured.

In both shootings, prosecutors said the men were driving a red Honda Accord, which the authorities later discovered in Santa Cruz. The three defendants were due in court for an arraignment hearing Friday.

"We want to thank the California Highway Patrol, Fremont Police and Santa Cruz Police for their great work investigating this case, and finding and apprehending these three suspects," Price said.

A fundraiser to support Crisostomo's family had raised more than $87,000 by Monday afternoon, and donations are still welcome.

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— Patch staffer Lucas Combos contributed to this report.