A 34-year-old man suspected of killing a Long Beach teenager in March was arrested Friday.
Troy Lamar Fox was already in custody on an unrelated weapons violation when he was identified by Long Beach Police as the suspect who fatally shot 17-year-old Briana Soto as she walked home from work.
Soto was outside his family’s home on the night of March 26 around 8:30 p.m. when he was shot while talking on the phone with his mother.
The teen’s family heard the gunshots outside their home on E. 11th St. and rushed her to the hospital where she eventually succumbed to her injuries three days later.
The suspect was captured on security footage moments after the shooting dressed in dark clothing and with a mask covering his face.
Briana Soto, 17, was fatally shot just steps from her family’s home on March 26.
Troy Lamar Fox, 34, suspected of killing a Long Beach teenager in March, was arrested Friday
Long Beach police investigated DNA, video and cell phone evidence before identifying Fox as the suspect believed to be involved in two other incidents on April 9 and July 7.
On April 9, officers responded to a shots fired call where a suspect, believed to be Fox, fired a firearm in the direction of three juveniles and one adult in a vehicle.
On July 7, police responded to the scene after receiving a report of firearms inside a vehicle. During the incident, officers located Fox and a juvenile suspect and later learned that both were in possession of prohibited weapons.
Two firearms were recovered from the suspects and four firearms were recovered from the vehicle.
Fox had an outstanding arrest warrant issued in November 2023 for violating the terms of his probation.
Following their investigation into Soto’s case, detectives presented evidence to a Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Sept. 11 and obtained an arrest warrant for Fox in the murder of the Long Beach teen.
The suspect was captured on security footage moments after the shooting dressed in dark clothing and with a mask covering his face.
Loved ones are still reeling from Soto’s untimely death and remember the teen as a kind and lively spirit.
On September 13, police took Fox into custody from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and booked him into the Long Beach City Jail.
Fox is currently being held on $2 million bail.
‘Briana Soto was just 17 years old when she was tragically taken from her family by a violent individual willing to commit such a reprehensible and brazen act of violence,’ Police Chief Wally Hebeish said in a statement. statement after the arrest.
“This suspect has demonstrated a willingness to cause harm to others and we will work closely with our partners across the criminal justice system to ensure Briana and her family receive the justice they deserve,” the statement continued.
Loved ones are still in shock over Soto’s untimely death and remember the teenager as a kind and lively spirit.
Angel Guevara, a neighbor of the victim, said KTLA5“We all know her. She was a very sweet girl. When I heard she had died, I was very sad.”
Michelle Fierro, another neighbor, said: “It made me aware of myself. I’m about her age. She was about to graduate from high school, so I feel like her story really impacted everyone around us.”
“It was her brothers who found her with her mother, so I can’t even imagine what they had to go through seeing her on the ground like that,” Fierro continued.
The motive for the shooting remains unclear.