PIERCE COUNTY, WA - Authorities have arrested two people who have been accused of being involved in the fatal shooting of a teenage boy.
The Pierce County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) announced that two people, a 26-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man, were arrested in connection with the homicide of 17-year-old Braylon Daniel Diaz. Police said Braylon was walking his girlfriend home in Parkland on the night of May 24 when someone in a car called for him to come over to them.
The suspects then allegedly robbed him of his jewelry, shot him and fled the scene, leaving him for dead, Law & Crime reported. "He protected me his last few seconds. He was always a protector. He always cared about me. He would always take care of everyone around him," Braylon's girlfriend, Katelyn Zuniga, said in a statement.
His stepmother, Chelsea Diaz, echoed the girlfriend's remarks, saying, "He would never confront anybody. The only reason he would walk close to that car would be to protect his girlfriend."
In a GoFundMe launched to raise money for Braylon's funeral, his loved ones urged anyone with more information to contact the police. The car, suspected to be connected to the incident, a red sedan, was located on May 27.
PCSO did not release the names of the alleged suspects since they have not yet been formally charged. Deputy Carly Cappetto said the sheriff's office was alerted by the Tulalip Police Department on Sunday, May 31, that they had arrested the female suspect at a Walmart store. Police said she was traveling with the male suspect at the time of the fatal shooting.
The male suspect was arrested by the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office in connection with unrelated felony warrants. Both suspects are now in custody at the Pierce County Jail. Cappetto said the investigation remains ongoing and there were more persons of interest in connection with Braylon's death.
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