Toddler killed by stray bullet while sleeping in car on California highway
Police say gunfight may have been taking place on other side of I-880
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A toddler was shot and killed by a stray bullet while sleeping in a car traveling on a California highway.
Police say that the Jasper Wu was killed as his family was driving on the I-880 in Oakland, California, on Saturday afternoon.
A white Lexus carrying the youngster was hit by a lone bullet as it drove in the southbound lanes of the highway at around 2pm, says California Highway Patrol.
The 23-month-old boy was rushed by emergency services to Oakland Children’s Hospital where he died from a gunshot wound to the head, says KTVU.
Authorities say that the car was being driven by the mother’s when the violence unfolded.
Police believe the family was not targeted and he may have been hit by a stray bullet.
“Evidence collected on the northbound side of the freeway may indicate the victims were not targeted and the child passenger was struck by a stray bullet,” CHP said in a statement.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
The family was driving from San Francisco back to their home in Fremont, California, with three children sitting in the back of the car.
Police believe there may have been a gun fight between two cars driving in the northbound lanes and closed the highway for several hours, creating a five-mile standstill.
All lanes were reopened by 5.40pm and the Highway Patrol has asked that anyone with information about the shooting call the CHP Investigation Tip line.
The shooting followed another deadly incident in the city, which saw one person killed and three injured in a shooting in East Oakland on Friday night.