Braylon Diaz was a Washington High School junior who played football and soccer.
PARKLAND, Wash. — Friends, relatives and classmates are mourning 17-year-old Braylon Daniel Diaz, a Washington High School student killed while walking with his girlfriend during what detectives describe as a sudden robbery over a necklace.
The May 24 shooting has shaken a school community that knew Diaz as a junior, a teammate and a teen who looked after others. His girlfriend, Katelyn Zuniga, told local reporters that Diaz protected her in his last moments. His family has said the same. Detectives, meanwhile, have moved from street canvasses and surveillance video to arrests, murder charges and a search for the man accused of firing the shot.
Diaz had been walking with Zuniga from his father’s home toward her home when a red sedan came near them on Sheridan Avenue South, according to investigators. The couple was in the area of the 10200 block shortly after 7 p.m. when the car passed, turned around near 102nd Street South and returned. Court documents say a person in the rear passenger seat called Diaz over. Zuniga told investigators Diaz did not want to move closer. The person then told the driver to reverse toward the couple, and the car backed up. Prosecutors say the rear passenger demanded Diaz’s chain. Diaz told Zuniga to stay back, handed over the necklace and was shot in the abdomen at close range.
The car left the scene as Zuniga called 911, according to charging documents. Deputies were dispatched at 7:13 p.m. after multiple callers reported a teen down in the road. First responders tried to save Diaz, but he died there. The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office first reported the victim’s age as 16, then family members identified him as 17-year-old Braylon Diaz. The death turned a short walk into a homicide scene marked by police tape, evidence searches and grief. A memorial later grew nearby as classmates and relatives brought flowers, candles and messages. Family members said Diaz had no connection to the people in the car, and investigators said the attack appeared random.
Zuniga said Diaz was someone who always cared for the people around him. His stepmother, Chelsea Diaz, said he would never have gone near the car to start a confrontation. She said the only reason he would have moved closer was to protect his girlfriend. Those accounts became central to how the family and community understood his final actions. Loved ones described Diaz as kind, respectful and active at school. He played football and soccer at Washington High School. Classmates gathered in the days after the shooting to remember him as a friend and teammate whose life ended days before the usual markers of late spring for students, families and teams.
The investigation developed first around the car. Detectives obtained and released video of a red sedan they believed was connected to the shooting. They asked residents and businesses in the area to check cameras for footage from the time before and after the killing. The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office later said the car had been found abandoned in Federal Way on May 27. Investigators described the discovery as a major break because it helped them identify people tied to the vehicle. Court filings later identified it as a red Toyota Corolla. Prosecutors say documents bearing suspect names were found inside, and detectives reviewed footage that appeared to show people trying to clean or wipe down the car after the shooting.
Authorities announced June 1 that two people had been arrested in connection with the case. One was Alyssa Marie Vaught-Barr, 26, whom prosecutors later accused of driving the car. She was detained by Tulalip police at a Walmart after a separate incident, then transferred to Pierce County custody. The second was Alejandro Lorenzo Diaz, 25, who was arrested during a Snohomish County traffic stop on an unrelated felony warrant. He is not related to Braylon Diaz. Prosecutors later said Alejandro Lorenzo Diaz had not been charged in the teen’s death, though investigators were still looking at his possible role. He was charged as a fugitive tied to an Oregon warrant.
The man accused of shooting Braylon Diaz is Brandon Torres-Mesa, 21, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office and charging documents. Prosecutors charged him with aggravated first-degree murder, first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm. Investigators say Torres-Mesa was in the rear passenger seat, demanded the necklace and fired after Diaz gave it to him. He remained at large after Vaught-Barr’s first court appearance. Deputies said they believed he could be armed. The sheriff’s office also said there may be more people involved besides those already identified in court records. That has left the investigation open even as the first charges move through court.
Vaught-Barr pleaded not guilty in Pierce County Superior Court. Her bail was set at $1 million. Prosecutors said she was not honest with detectives and had provided information that slowed the investigation. Her defense attorney said she understood the seriousness of the case and could not afford bail. Court papers say Vaught-Barr called police on May 27 and admitted she was driving during the shooting. She told investigators she did not know Torres-Mesa intended to shoot anyone and claimed he struck her with the gun when she tried to help Diaz. Prosecutors said other evidence, including surveillance video and phone data, raised questions about her account.
Investigators also said cell records placed Vaught-Barr and other people tied to the case near the shooting scene and later near Federal Way, where the car was found. Charging papers say detectives found a written statement in a vehicle connected to the arrests that appeared to outline what Vaught-Barr wanted to say to police. They also found a note with references to spending carefully, finding a cheap lawyer and arranging a place to live. A 9mm handgun was recovered, though authorities have not publicly said it was the weapon used to kill Diaz. Those items have become part of the evidence prosecutors cited as they argued the case involved planning after the fact, not only panic.
For Diaz’s family, the court file and search for suspects sit beside the loss of a son, stepson, boyfriend and friend. Brock Diaz, Braylon’s father, stood near the memorial after the shooting and said no parent should have to go through what his family was facing. Relatives organized funeral support and asked people with information to share it with detectives. At the vigil, the details repeated by friends were not only about the shooting, but about Diaz’s place in their daily lives. He was remembered as a student who showed up for teams, cared for his girlfriend and tried to keep others safe.
Vaught-Barr remains in jail while the murder case proceeds. Alejandro Lorenzo Diaz remains tied to the fugitive case and possible further review by investigators. Torres-Mesa remained the focus of an active search as detectives continued to pursue others they believe may have been involved.
Author note: Last updated July 6, 2026.