A suspect has been arrested in the shooting death of a 17-year-old Long Beach girl who was killed while walking home.
The suspect was identified as 34-year-old Troy Lamar Fox of Long Beach, who is accused of killing Briana Soto in March, authorities said.
Authorities said they were seeking DNA, video and cellphone evidence to identify Fox, who they discovered was already in Los Angeles County sheriff’s custody on an unrelated weapons violation.
According to Long Beach Press-TelegramSoto had walked home the night of March 26 while talking to her mother on the phone. She was shot shortly after hanging up and just steps from her door near 11th Street and Lewis Avenue, the newspaper quoted police as saying.
“Briana Soto was just 17 years old when she was tragically taken from her family,” Long Beach Police Chief Wally Hebeish said in a statement Friday. “We will work closely with our partners throughout the criminal justice system to ensure that Briana and her family receive the justice they deserve.”
In comments to local TV stations, those who knew Soto described her as delightful and a hard working.
In addition to being arrested in Soto’s murder, Fox was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in a separate shooting that occurred in April near the 1300 block of Pine Avenue.