Two people were arrested early Monday, and deputies said they are still looking for others involved in the killing of Braylon Diaz.
PARKLAND, Wash. — The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said two people were arrested Monday in connection with the robbery and fatal shooting of 17-year-old Braylon Diaz in Parkland.
The arrests happened around 3 a.m. Monday, according to the sheriff’s office. They were arrested by the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and turned over to Pierce County authorities.
According to jail logs, both suspects were arrested on suspicion of murder, robbery and drive-by shooting. One was also arrested as a fugitive.
Investigators said they are still looking for other suspects involved in the case. The sheriff’s office said investigators know who they are but declined to release more information.
Braylon’s family has been notified of the arrests.
The shooting happened around 7:13 p.m. May 24, in the 10200 block of Sheridan Avenue South. Deputies were called to the area after reports of a seriously wounded person.
Investigators said Braylon was walking with his 16-year-old girlfriend, Katelyn Zuniga, when a vehicle drove up and surprised them. Katelyn told KING 5 the people in the vehicle were interested in Braylon’s necklace.
She said Braylon gave it up willingly before he was shot.
Katelyn said she saw four people in a red four-door car she did not recognize. Investigators said the attack appears to have been random.
“This was a true victim tonight,” sheriff’s spokesperson Carly Cappetto previously said.
Medical responders performed CPR, but Braylon died at the scene.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office announced May 28 that investigators had found a car believed to be involved in the robbery and shooting. That car was found in Federal Way.
“This finding has launched us forward in identifying suspects of interest,” Cappetto previously said.
The sheriff’s office has warned people not to approach vehicles they do not recognize.
On May 27, Braylon’s father, Brock, spoke with KING 5 at a growing memorial for his son.
“I want no parent, nobody should go through that,” he said. “Not even the way it happened. I mean, that was horrific. Nobody should go through that. It should be me first. I’m supposed to be old, he takes care of me and he takes care of me and he puts me into the ground. Not this way.”
Brock said he had spoken with Braylon less than an hour before the shooting.
“I never even got a chance to touch him or look at him,” Brock said. “The next time I saw him he was in a bag. It was tough for all of us to do that. We couldn’t even touch him.”
About 20 to 40 minutes later, Brock got a call from Katelyn telling him what happened. Brock said it was the “worst phone call of my life.”
“He was just the sweetest soul,” Katelyn told KING 5.
Braylon was a junior at Washington High School. People close to him said he was a dedicated student who enjoyed soccer and planned to join the military after graduation.
“He protected me in his last few seconds … he always cared about me,” Katelyn said.
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