PARKLAND, Wash. — The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office says it has found the car it believes is tied to the death of a Parkland teen. Detectives are still searching for the people who were inside at the time of the shooting.
On Sunday, 17-year-old Braylon Daniel Diaz was killed in front of his girlfriend. The shooting happened around 7 pm near South Sheridan Avenue and 102nd Street South.
According to detectives, a vehicle pulled up and called him over. The people inside then robbed him of some jewelry, shot him, and took off. Diaz didn’t survive.
The sheriff’s office believes it was a random attack.
On Tuesday, the department released video of a car they believe the shooter was in. Detectives found it yesterday, but no one was inside.
KIRO 7 News spoke with Diaz’s uncle earlier this week about the kind of person he was.
“He didn’t ever want to see nobody hurt,” said Johnathon Grimmett. “Even to the last minute, he told his girlfriend to stand back when it happened. It’s a selfless act.”
Diaz was a student at Washington High School and active in both the football and soccer programs.
“Everybody at school loves him,” said Grimmett. “They all know what kind of good kid he is. The kid wasn’t a gangbanger. He’s a straightforward kid. He just wanted to love and be loved.”
The Franklin Pierce School District released a statement saying, in part: “Our community is heartbroken by the tragic loss of Braylon Diaz. Braylon was a junior at Washington High School who was deeply connected to our school community through his involvement in the WHS football and soccer programs.”
His coach was saying that it was going to be his year,” Grimmett said. “They were teaching him how to be a quarterback and wide receiver. He excelled. Everybody loved him.”
A memorial continues to grow along the roadside where Diaz was killed, beside a sign warning the area is under video surveillance — the same type of evidence detectives hope will lead to an arrest.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Diaz’s family with funeral costs.
Investigators are asking anyone with information that may help solve this case to all their office and speak with a detective.
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