A father, wanted for the murder of his ex-wife, and his 15-year-old daughter have both died in a shootout with police in California.
Anthony John Graziano abducted his child, Savannah, a day earlier after allegedly killing his wife in Fontana near San Bernardino.
Police had issued an Amber Alert (a missing person alert) after Graziano fled with the teenager, describing him as armed and dangerous.
An emergency caller reported seeing his Nissan Frontier around Barstow, according to the local sheriff’s department.
Deputies located the van before chasing it down the highway for approximately 45 miles (72 km) as Graziano, and possibly his daughter, “constantly fired back at deputies” through the rear window of the vehicle, banging on the least two patrol cars.
Graziano’s pickup eventually broke down on the side of the highway just outside the town of Hesperia and a shootout began.
During the shooting, Savannah got out of the truck and ran towards deputies before falling to the ground, San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said.
Deputies would not have initially realized it was the teenager when she exited the vehicle as she was wearing a military-style helmet and vest that could hold armor plates.
It is not immediately clear whether she was shot by the deputies who responded or by her father.
The teenager was taken to hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Her father was found dead in the driver’s seat and a gun was found inside the car.
A deputy was injured by shrapnel in the shooting, Sheriff Dicus said.
Graziano allegedly killed Tracy Martinez, 45, Monday morning during a domestic violence event, according to Fontana police.
Family members told investigators the couple were going through a divorce.