There was a major traffic snarl in the East Bay Tuesday as CHP investigators shut down all southbound lanes of I-880 in the area of the Fremont-Milpitas border, looking for evidence in Saturday's fatal shooting of a five-year-old girl.
The shocking death of five-year-old Eliyanah Crisostomo, while she was riding in a car with her family on the way to a family member's birthday at Outback Steakhouse, is sparking further outrage as the Bay Area contends with an uptick in random freeway shootouts. Another, similar situation on I-880 in Oakland took the life of two-year-old Jasper Wu 18 months ago.
While there was an initial report suggesting that Santa Cruz police had pulled over a suspect vehicle after the shooting on Highway 17 — they further claimed to have seen a gun tossed out of the vehicle as they pursued it — that appears to have been a false lead and CHP says no arrests in the case have been made.
That lack of leads has led to the total shutdown of I-880 today, with officers walking the road in a line, possibly in search of shell casings.
KCBS Radio reported on the freeway closure, saying that the southbound lanes were all closed as of 11:20 a.m., with all traffic being diverted at the Fremont Blvd South exit — and the detour route was "completely jammed."
#Fremont: Police are walking the freeway as an investigation continues. Southbound 880 is closed at Fremont Blvd South with all traffic being diverted off the freeway. Fremont Blvd to Warren is the detour and completely jammed. #KCBSTraffic Photos: Caltrans pic.twitter.com/KLvi9puAux
— KCBS Radio - The Traffic Leader (@KCBSAMFMTraffic) April 11, 2023
#Fremont: Southbound 880 remains closed between Auto Mall Expressway and Fremont Blvd South due to a police investigation. No word when they may reopen. Grimmer Blvd or Cushing Pkwy the best detours. Traffic is backed up to #UnionCity. #KCBSTraffic Photos: Caltrans pic.twitter.com/PWOlnwRzIF
— KCBS Radio - The Traffic Leader (@KCBSAMFMTraffic) April 11, 2023
SFGate spoke to a CHP spokesperson, Officer Andrew Barclay, who said there was no estimated time for reopening the roadway.
"They will have it closed as long as they need it," Barclay said.
Lanes of Southbound I-880 in the Fremont and Milpitas border remain closed due to an investigation, the CHP said. SKY7 was over the scene as investigators look for evidence related to the shooting of 5-year-old Eliyanah, who passed away over the weekend. https://t.co/ojIGy4GQeV pic.twitter.com/jWeSnIaZ0X
— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) April 11, 2023
UPDATE: Southbound I-880 in Fremont is closed as part of the investigation into the weekend freeway shooting that left a 5-year-old girl dead, the CHP said. https://t.co/sjHFeyBhsy pic.twitter.com/ghjjSHb2Xh
— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) April 11, 2023
On Saturday, April 8 at 6:40 p.m., CHP officers responded to a car pulled over on I-880 southbound in Milpitas, where a family was distraught over the shooting of the young girl. Bullets had apparently pierced the vehicle as it was driving in the southbound lanes, and it's not clear if the family ever identified a suspect vehicle.
On Tuesday, detectives with the CHP’s Golden Gate Division, who are investigating the shooting, put out a call for anyone with information about the incident to call their tip line at 707-917-4491.
