OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) – A 23-month-old boy has died after he was shot while sleeping in his car seat inside a vehicle that was traveling on I-880 in Oakland, according to authorities.
The boy, identified by a family friend as Jasper Wu, was riding in a Lexus sedan on the freeway Saturday afternoon when the car was struck by gunfire, the California Highway Patrol said in a statement. The boy was rushed to the hospital, where he succumbed to the gunshot wound.
A CHP spokesperson said dispatchers began receiving calls about a shooting on the freeway around 2 p.m. on Saturday.
A family friend told NewsNation affiliate KRON4 the boy was riding from San Francisco to his home in Fremont with three adults and two other children when he was shot. The boy’s mother was driving the car.
The CHP shut a section of the freeway to investigate, and the evidence suggests the victims were not targeted but got caught in the crossfire, the statement said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.