Court records show one suspect had prior cases involving a drive-by shooting, firearm possession and a work-release escape.
PARKLAND, Wash. — One of the suspects arrested for the robbery and fatal shooting of 17-year-old Braylon Diaz of Parkland previously pleaded guilty to drive-by shooting charges in 2021, according to court documents.
Two people were arrested in connection to the shooting of Diaz on Monday.
Court records show the male suspect has prior Pierce County felony convictions involving a drive-by shooting, assault, firearm possession, drugs and escape.
In one 2019 case, prosecutors said a sedan chased a Honda Accord in Tacoma before someone in the sedan fired several rounds at the passenger side of the Honda. Court records show the male suspect later pleaded guilty in 2021 to second-degree assault and drive-by shooting.
He was sentenced to 60 months. After two years, he was transferred from prison to a work release program, which he escaped from a month later, according to court documents.
He was later convicted in 2023 of that escape and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
In that case, deputies said a stolen Glock 23 .40-caliber handgun was found in a vehicle he had been in.
The fatal 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 that someone had been seriously wounded.
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.
She 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.
On May 28, the sheriff’s office announced investigators had found a car in Federal Way believed to be connected to the robbery and shooting.
“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.
Braylon’s father, Brock, spoke with KING 5 on May 27 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 said, Katelyn called him and told him what happened. He described it as 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.
To ensure diverse coverage and expert insight across a wide range of topics, our publication features contributions from multiple staff writers with varied areas of expertise.
