Long Beach, CA — A Long Beach man, already detained for unrelated charges, was arrested Friday in connection with the shooting death of a teenager near her home in March, authorities announced.
34-year-old Troy Lamar Fox was apprehended after being identified by Long Beach Police as the alleged assailant in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Briana Soto. Soto was killed on the evening of March 26 while talking to her mother on the phone right outside her family’s residence on E. 11th St. She succumbed to her injuries three days after being rushed to the hospital by her family who heard the gunshots.
Fox, who was already in custody for a weapons violation at the time of his identification, is also suspected in two additional incidents in April and July involving gunfire and illegal firearms possession.
The arrest followed a detailed investigation by the Long Beach Police, which utilized DNA, cellphone, and video evidence to link Fox to the crime. The breakthrough came with security footage that captured a man believed to be Fox, moments after Soto was shot, dressed in dark clothing and a mask.
A few days before Fox’s arrest, detectives presented their evidence to a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, securing an arrest warrant for Fox on charges of murder. On September 13, authorities transferred custody of Fox from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to Long Beach City Jail, where he is currently held on $2 million bail.
In a statement, Chief of Police Wally Hebeish expressed his determination to bring justice to Soto’s family. He described the killing as a “reprehensible and brazen act of violence” and stressed the importance of collaboration within the criminal justice system to ensure accountability.
The community continues to mourn Soto, remembered by friends and neighbors as a vibrant and kind-hearted young woman. Angel Guevara, a neighbor, recounted to local media how well-known and loved Soto was in the community. Michelle Fierro, another neighbor, reflected on how the tragic incident had heightened her own sense of vulnerability.
The exact motive behind the shooting remains undetermined, adding a layer of complexity to a case that has deeply affected the local community.
As Fox faces the legal consequences, the broader implications of his alleged actions, and the loss of such a young life, resonate throughout Long Beach, leaving an indelible impact on all who knew Briana Soto or have followed the tragic circumstances of her untimely death.