The reward to find the killer of 6-year-old Aiden Leos in a road-rage shooting on the 55 Freeway in Orange has now increased to $400,000.
A fundraiser initially began with a $50,000 reward offered by Leos’ family.
Two Orange County supervisors, the district attorney and local businesses later added more money to the reward.
The reward jumped to $300,000 on Wednesday and then increased to $400,000 Sunday evening.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer sent out a message Sunday asking the person responsible for Leos’ death to come forward and turn themselves in.
“The longer this goes on… the less sympathy I’ll have. You killed a 6 year old boy for God’s sake. Come forward. Turn yourself in,” Spitzer said via Twitter.
The money is tied to information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person who fatally shot the 6-year-old, who was on his way to kindergarten in Yorba Linda.
“Aiden’s killer will be held accountable for this atrocity,” said O.C. Supervisor Don Wagner, who represents both Orange and Yorba Linda. “Please come forward if you have any information or know someone who may have information that could crack this case.”
Leos was killed around 8 a.m. May 21 after a vehicle cut off his mother, Joanna Cloonan, in the carpool lane of the 55 Freeway near Chapman Avenue, she said.
The shooter was a man while the person driving the vehicle was a woman, according to O.C. District Attorney Todd Spitzer.
The California Highway Patrol described the vehicle as a 2018-2019 white Volkswagen Golf SportsWagen with non-tinted windows and a sunroof. It was last seen on the 91 East at McKinley in Riverside after Leos was shot.
“I would just like to say thank you on behalf of me and my mother for all the support,” Alexis Cloonan, the boy’s sister, said at a news conference. “Aiden gets to have a funeral as beautiful as he is, and we’re so, so grateful for that and the outpour of love and support.”
The CHP is asking witnesses to come forward. They are looking for anyone who may have dashcam or cellphone video that was taken on the northbound 55 near the 22 Freeway and Chapman between 7:15 and 8:15 a.m. last Friday.
A GoFundMe page in support of Aiden’s mother had raised more than $322,000 as of Sunday evening. And another GoFundMe page was made to support his father following the loss of his son.
Anyone with information is urged to send tips by calling call CHP’s Santa Ana office at 714-567-6000, or 800-TELL-CHP (835-5247). Tips can also be emailed to SantaAnaCHPTipline@chp.ca.gov. More information can also be found at aiden-reward.com.