$10,000 reward for information in slain Fremont toddler case

The killing of a 23-month-old toddler, who was hit by a stray bullet in his sleep on Saturday on the Oakland freeway, has sent shock waves through Fremont and Oakland, which has already been roiled by a surge in homicides this past year.

Now, the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the people involved in the gunfight on I-880.

Jasper Wu was in the backseat of his family’s Lexus sedan when a bullet flew through the windshield and struck him. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Jasper would’ve turned two years old next month and on Monday, his father, Jihao Wu, flew into the U.S from China to help bury the son he never met. Carl Chan, president of the OCCC, said Wu never met his son in person due to travel restrictions during the pandemic.

Oakland surpassed its 2020 homicide total in October and the city’s homicides have risen 40% from 2019. In the past 12 months, there have been 76 freeway shootings in Alameda County on I-880 and I-580, the California Highway Patrol said on Monday.

The case is still being investigated and officials haven’t released information on possible suspects.

The chamber has also created a GoFundMe to help the family with funeral expenses. As of Friday morning, more than $205,000 has been raised.

The OCCC also renewed its calls for more police presence in Oakland and and on freeways across the city.

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“Protecting its citizens serves as the government’s fundamental responsibility, and if the death of this toddler, on his way home with his family, doesn’t wake us up to the out of control crime in Oakland, I don’t know what will,” Chan said. “We can all be victims, and I call on the California Highway Patrol to increase its presence on our roadways so tragedies like this can be prevented.”

“The lawlessness affects all communities and must stop now,” said Nghia Tran, chief operating officer at Burma Love and Superstar restaurants, who helped create the Crimes Against Asians Reward Fund.