NorCal gang members thought they were firing at rival gang when they killed 5-year-old girl, DA says

MILPITAS, Calif. -- Three gang members were charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a 5-year-old girl on a highway in the San Francisco Bay Area, prosecutors announced Friday.

The shooting occurred last weekend in southbound lanes of Interstate 880 near Milpitas, according to the California Highway Patrol. The 5-year-old girl was identified as Eliyanah Crisostomo.

The Alameda County District Attorney'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.

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

Eliyanah and her family were driving to a family dinner when she was struck by gunfire. Eliyanah was riding in the third-row seat, next to her brother, when the bullet pierced through her heart, the DA said in a press release.

"The defendants, three Fremont Sureño gang members, fired into the car Eliyanah was riding in with her family, believing it was a rival gang car," the press release said. "They flashed gang symbols and purposefully fired within their intended target, the car filled with Eliyanah and five other people."

The suspects were later captured in Santa Cruz.

KGO-TV contributed to this report.