The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information to come forward Tuesday.
PARKLAND, Wash. — Investigators with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday that they have discovered a car involved in Sunday’s robbery and shooting death of a 17-year-old boy in Parkland.
The car was found in Federal Way. “This discovery moves us forward in identifying the suspect,” Pierce County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Carly Cappetto said.
On Sunday, Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a seriously injured person in the 10200 block of Sheridan Avenue South in Parkland around 7:13 p.m.
The victim, Braylon Diaz, a 17-year-old boy, suffered a gunshot wound. Medical emergency personnel performed CPR, but he died at the scene. Police initially reported he was 16 years old.
According to Cappetto, Braylon was walking with his 16-year-old girlfriend when a car drove up, surprising them. His girlfriend, Katelyn Zuniga, said residents were interested in Braylen’s necklace. She said he gave up voluntarily before being shot.
KING 5 spoke with Braylon’s father, Brock, as he said goodbye to his son at the growing memorial on Wednesday.
“I don’t need my parents, no one should have to go through something like this,” he said. “Not even the way it happened. I mean, it was horrible. No one should have to go through this. It should have been me first. I was supposed to be old and he took care of me and he took care of me and then he put me on the ground. Not like that.”
Bullock said he was talking to his son less than an hour before Braylon was shot.
“I didn’t even get a chance to touch him or look at him. The next time I saw him, he was in a bag. It was very difficult for all of us to do that. We couldn’t even touch him.”
“I don’t know, twenty, 40 minutes to get a call. It was the worst call of my life,” he said.
Braylon’s girlfriend explained what happened on the other end of the phone.
Cappetto said there are multiple outstanding suspects. The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office is asking people not to approach unknown vehicles.
Caitlin said she saw four people in a red four-door car she didn’t recognize. Investigators have not confirmed suspect details or released a description, but they said the attack appeared to be random.
“It was a real victim tonight,” Cappetto said.
Meanwhile, friends and family gathered at a growing memorial throughout the day Monday.
“He was the sweetest soul,” Caitlin told KING 5.
Braylon is a junior at Washington High School. He plans to join the military after graduation. People close to him say he loved football and was a dedicated student.
“He protected me in those last seconds… He always cared about me,” Caitlin said.
