It wasn't immediately clear if the shot that killed 15-year-old Savannah Graziano was fired by her father or sheriff's deputies.
A 15-year-old girl whose kidnapping prompted an Amber Alert in Southern California was killed on Tuesday in a shootout between police and her father, who was accused of abducting her, officials said.on Monday after Anthony Graziano, 45, allegedly shot and killed his estranged wife at her home in Fontana. He then fled with 15-year-old Savannah Graziano, authorities said.
On Tuesday morning, officials received a call from a person saying that they had spotted Graziano's white truck, San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus told reporters in a press conference on Tuesday.As deputies went to investigate the vehicle, a pursuit began. According to Dicus, Graziano began firing at the deputies,"putting several rounds through the window of the patrol unit.”
The pursuit continued from Highway 58 to Interstate 15, where a second police unit became involved. That vehicle was shortly disabled by Graziano's gunfire, Dicus said. The sheriff described a firefight as deputies tried to contain Graziano's truck, which ultimately stopped off road in Hesperia. Someone in tactical gear and a helmet then got out of the passenger side started to run toward the sheriff's deputies as gunfire continued to be exchanged, he said.
The person collapsed before reaching deputies, and authorities then identified Savannah Graziano. Dicus did not say if the shot that killed her was fired by her father or by deputies.“This investigation is going to take at least 24 hours before we're able to provide you with more information as to what happened and exactly what the circumstances are as it relates to the officer-involved situation," Dicus said during the press conference.