PARKLAND, Wash. — Two people have been arrested in connection with the death of a 17-year-old Parkland boy who was shot and killed after being robbed of a necklace, authorities said Monday.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said a 26-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man were taken into custody Sunday in connection with the May 24 killing of Braylon Diaz.
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According to investigators, Tulalip Police Department officers arrested the woman at a Walmart in Tulalip late Sunday night. Earlier that day, the man had been arrested by the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and was being held in its custody, officials said.
Pierce County detectives traveled to Tulalip to take custody of the woman and coordinated with the Snohomish County Jail to transfer the man, who was booked into the Pierce County Jail.
Authorities have not released the suspects’ names or announced formal charges.
“This remains an ongoing investigation,” the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Investigators added that additional persons of interest remain outstanding.
Diaz, a junior at Washington High School, was killed May 24 while walking with his girlfriend near 102nd Street South and South Sheridan Avenue in Parkland. Authorities said a group of people in a red car approached the couple, demanded Diaz’s necklace, and then shot him before fleeing the scene.
The sheriff’s office later released surveillance footage of the suspected vehicle and asked the public for help identifying those involved. Investigators eventually located the abandoned red vehicle in Federal Way, a development officials said helped them identify multiple persons of interest in the case.
The killing sparked an outpouring of grief throughout the Parkland community. Friends, family members and classmates gathered at a vigil days after the shooting to remember Diaz, who played football and soccer and was described by loved ones as a kind and well-liked student.
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Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
