A father and his abducted 15-year-old daughter were shot and killed by law enforcement during a pursuit and gunfight in San Bernardino County on Tuesday morning.
The girl was running towards deputies when she was fatally shot. She was transported to the hospital by helicopter and was pronounced dead.
Father Killed Girl's Mother Before Abducting Her
Authorities were chasing a vehicle belonging to Anthony John Graziano, 45, the suspect in Monday's shooting and abduction in Fontana. Authorities say an Amber Alert was issued after Graziano killed his estranged wife, Tracy Martinez, 45, and kidnapped their daughter, Savanna Graziano, during a domestic dispute.
A witness said he saw a man get out of his car and fire on the woman as she ran from her car. The couple was in the process of getting a divorce, police said.
Around 10:25 a.m. Tuesday, amid the ongoing manhunt, a resident reported seeing what they believed was the suspect and his 2017 Nissan Frontier in Barstow. San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies located the vehicle and a pursuit ensued. At one point, the suspect opened fire on officers from his rear window, Sheriff Shannon Dicus said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
Savana Ran Towards Deputies Wearing Tactical Gear
The pursuit continued through the 15 Freeway before the driver eventually went off road near the Main Street exit and a firefight ensued. During the shootout, the passenger exited the truck while wearing tactical gear, ran toward deputies and "during the gunfire, goes down," Dicus said.
After the shooting stopped and the vehicle was cleared, authorities realized the person wearing the tactical gear was Savanna. The girl was immediately transported to a local hospital, but later died. Anthony was killed in the shootout.
Dicus said it is unclear if Savanna was armed when she ran toward deputies, or if she fired at deputies at any time during the dangerous pursuit, but only one weapon, a rifle, was recovered from the scene. Eyewitnesses shared video footage of the shootout on social media.
Sheriff's investigators are now working with Fontana police detectives, the sheriff said, to unravel, among other things, how Savannah Graziano went from being considered a kidnapping victim to dying in a hail of gunfire after a possible role in the shooting while wearing body armor on a High Desert freeway.
