Five-year-old killed in highway shooting in San Francisco Bay Area 

A five-year-old girl was fatally shot on a San Francisco Bay Area freeway on Saturday night at around 7 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol. 

The shooting took place on Interstate 880 near Dixon Landing Road in Milpitas, Santa Cruz police said. The girl, named Eliyanah, was hit by a bullet as her family was driving southbound on the highway. 

According to family friends, the family was headed to Outback Steakhouse when a vehicle pulled up and began shooting. Eliyanah was hit by one of the bullets and died within 30 seconds, reported ABC 7.  

Police began a car stop after locating the vehicle suspected of being involved in the shooting. 

"The vehicle did not yield, and a pursuit was initiated," police said in a statement. "During the pursuit on Hwy 17, officers observed the vehicle's occupants discarding a firearm from the car. The suspect driver stopped a short distance later."

Authorities closed the entire highway during the investigation for about an hour. Police officers later recovered the firearm that was thrown from the vehicle.

Police are investigating a second shooting that took place in the same area at around 6:30 p.m. on the same day. No one was hurt in the incident. 

Three suspects were arrested in connection to the shooting, according to the Santa Cruz Police Department. Authorities have not yet confirmed if the two shootings that took place during the day are related.  

Family friends said Eliyanah was looking forward to Easter and her upcoming birthday on April 21. A GoFundMe page was started to help the family say goodbye to their child. 

“Eliyanah was a fun-loving little girl who loved life, had a giving heart, close with her three siblings, especially her brother who were 11 months apart. Both were so excited for Easter before the family was torn to pieces by this tragic event,” reads the page.