SUNNI REA REZA - 8 yo - / Accused: David Candelaria Sr and David Candelaria Jr - Albuquerque, NM

Father, 45, and son, 23, arrested 'for shooting dead girl, 8, after they fired into the back of a car'

A father and a son have been arrested following a seven-hour SWAT standoff for allegedly shooting dead an eight-year-old girl as she rode in the back of a car.

David Candelaria Sr., 45, faces a murder charge after allegedly firing several shots into the back of the car in southeast Albuquerque, New Mexico on Friday while with his son, David Candelaria Jr, 23.

Sunni Rae Reza, who was just two days from celebrating her ninth birthday, was shot dead in the head while in the back of the car.


Victim: Sunni Rae Reza, pictured, was shot in the head as she rode in the back of a car on Friday

Police spokeswoman Tasia Martinez said the men did not know the girl or her family, but fired shots into the vehicle after an altercation.

Little Sunni was riding in the car with her father, uncle and another man, but no one else was hurt.

Following the shooting, the car's driver took Sunni and her father to a nearby fire station, but left the scene. The victim's family believes it is because he had a warrant out for his arrest.

An ambulance arrived at the fire station and took Sunni to hospital, where she died.

The suspects were identified by surveillance cameras at a Subway sandwich shop shortly after the shooting and the images were displayed on local media.

Candelaria Jr. was arrested late on Saturday, while his father hid from police at a residence. He was eventually apprehended after seven hours by a SWAT team on Sunday afternoon.

They sent in a robot and set off flash bangs in a bid to coax out him out and eventually sent in a K-9 unit. The dog bit him before police tased him and took him into custody.

Sunni's aunt, Savannah Gonzalez, struggled to hold back her tears as she told KOBof the family's heartbreak.

'[Her father] is not doing too good,' she said. 'He's really heartbroken. I'm lost for words. It's unbelievable. Reality hasn't kicked in.

And while she said she had forgiven the shooters, she urged for justice to be served.

'They took an innocent life,' she said. 'They took our baby's life. Now we're not going to be able to have the special moments we were supposed to share.'

The elder Candelaria faces an open count of murder, while the younger Candelaria was charged with conspiracy to commit a second-degree felony and tampering with evidence, Martinez said.

The tampering charges come after the gun they allegedly used in the killing was thrown into a field and later found by a K-9 unit.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2335378/Father-45-son-23-arrested-shooting-dead-girl-8-fired-car.html

More violence claims another little angel. She was a gorgeous little angel taken too soon. Those two should pay with their lives. William