California Teen and Her Fugitive Dad Wanted for Murder of His Wife Both Killed in Shootout With Police

A California teen and her fugitive dad accused of murdering the teen's mom were both killed during a shootout with police on Tuesday.

Sheriff Shannon Dicus of San Bernardino County said 15-year-old Savannah Graziano was wearing tactical gear when she ran toward sheriff's deputies during the shootout on the 15 Freeway in Hesperia.

However, it is not clear whether the bullet that killed the California teen was from her father or the deputies. The Associate Press reported that she was brought to a hospital but died shortly before noon. Her 45-year-old father, Anthony John Graziano, was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to Sgt. Chris Surgent of the Fontana Police Department, Graziano allegedly killed 45-year-old Tracy Martinez, the teen's mom, during a domestic violence event near a Fontana elementary school on Monday morning. The couple's family told the investigators that they were getting a divorce.

Fugitive Dad Kidnapped His California Teen Daughter

The Fontana Police Department sent out an Amber Alert after Anthony John Graziano drove off in a white 2017 Nissan Frontier with his daughter.

Graziano was said to be dangerous and carried a gun. A call to the sheriff's office on Tuesday morning said the vehicle described in the Amber Alert had been found. The call noted that the car was in Barstow and heading the freeways - southbound.

As the deputies got closer to the car at the Main Street exit in Hesperia, a shootout broke out between the police and the suspect. Witnesses to the shooting said they heard a lot of gunfire, ABC 7 reported.

Deputies had been chasing the older Graziano's pickup truck when shots were fired, "shooting back at the deputies" through the rear window.

The vehicle broke down on the shoulder of a highway in Hesperia, leading to the firefight. Dicus said the teen was in tactical gear as she ran toward the deputies after getting out of the passenger side of a truck.

Dicus noted that the deputies did not know it was the girl at first as she was wearing a military-style vest with armored plates and a helmet. The California teen was shot before her father was also killed in the shootout.

California Investigators Revealed a Shocking Twist at the Shootout

While the detectives found only one weapon in Anthony John Graziano's truck, they said it was possible that his daughter was also firing.

"There may be some information that the passenger was involved in firing back at the deputies and we're still trying to confirm that at this point," Dicus noted.

He went on to say that the information given on Tuesday was preliminary and that coroner's investigators still needed to confirm the identities of both people who died in the gunfight.

Dicus said the investigation is "complex," and that his department will look at any videos that may have been captured during the chaos.

The California Highway Patrol noted that all lanes of the 15 Freeway at Bear Valley Road were closed and that drivers were being directed to other roads because of the ongoing police activity. Officials said the roads will be closed for several hours.

The California Highway Patrol noted that the Amber Alert had been deactivated following Savannah's death.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Savanna Graziano: California Amber Alert Teen Dies in San Bernardino County Shootout- From FOX 11 Los Angeles