A California teenage girl who was the subject of an Amber Alert after her mother was murdered died Tuesday during a shootout between deputies and her father, her alleged abductor, who was also killed, authorities said.
Savanna Graziano, 15, was allegedly kidnaped by Anthony Graziano, who is accused of killing the girl’s mother Monday in Fontana, a small suburb located 50 miles east of Los Angeles. She was killed after her father exchanged gunfire with authorities during a miles-long vehicle chase, San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus told reporters.
The San Bernardino Sheriff’s department received a call from a citizen who said they spotted Anthony Graziano’s vehicle mentioned in the Amber Alert, Dicus said.
CALIFORNIA INMATE ON DEATH ROW DIES OF NATURAL CAUSES
Authorities tried stopping the vehicle and Graziano led them on a chase in the Barstow area and through multiple jurisdictions, authorities said. He shot at deputies during the pursuit and put “several rounds through the windshield of the patrol unit,” Dicus said.
The suspect exchanged multiple rounds with deputies before his vehicle eventually became disabled on Interstate 15 in the Victorville area, Dicus said.
A firefight ensued between Graziano and authorities. When the vehicle stopped, the teen girl exited wearing tactical gear and began running toward deputies before she collapsed to the ground during the gunfire.
She was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. Dicus did not say if she was struck by bullets fired by her father or deputies or if she also shot at deputies.
Anthony Graziano was pronounced dead at the scene of the shootout, Dicus said. He said investigators found a rifle inside the suspect’s truck.
