Missing girl killed during shootout with deputies

After Amber Alert, man and teen daughter killed in shootout – Los Angeles Times

In the course of a shootout between her father and police, a young girl who was the subject of an Amber Alert was struck and killed.

Police issued an Amber Alert on Monday for Savanna Graziano, 15, of Fontana, California, about an hour east of Los Angeles. She was suspected of having been abducted by her father, Anthony Graziano, after he allegedly killed Tracy Martinez, the girl’s mother, during a domestic dispute.

It was believed that Anthony Graziano, 45, was armed and dangerous at the time. Detailed information about Graziano, as well as his vehicle’s license plate, was included in the alert.

Law enforcement officers were notified by a motorist on Tuesday that the vehicle had been spotted. Upon catching up with the suspect, he was traveling southbound on I-15, heading toward Los Angeles. There was then an exchange of gunfire between him and the police. During some time near Victorville, the suspect’s car broke down.

As the car came to a halt, someone inside continued to shoot at the police. Savanna Graziano reportedly exited the vehicle wearing a tactical helmet and a trauma plate, similar to those in bulletproof vests, and ran toward police. Savanna was then struck by a bullet, but it is unclear whether it was fired by police or by the suspect.

As soon as police secured the scene, Savanna was given medical assistance and transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The suspect was also reported to have died from a gunshot wound during the incident.

According to Shannon Dicus, the San Bernardino Sheriff held a press conference on Tuesday to reveal these details. However, he cautioned that “these findings are preliminary and still need to be confirmed.”

In his statement, Dicus did not specify how many times Savanna or Anthony were struck. He confirmed that one firearm was recovered from the suspect’s vehicle – an AR-15 rifle. In addition, several rounds were reported to have been fired through the patrol unit’s windshield using a gun from the suspect’s vehicle.

During the incident, a deputy was injured by shrapnel and is in stable condition.

In addition, Dicus said there “are some indications” Savanna also fired at police, and Fox 11 Los Angeles reported that the shots were fired from the passenger side of the suspect’s car.