17-year-old fatally shot walking home from work, CA cops say. Search is on for suspect
The search is on for a suspect accused of fatally shooting a 17-year-old girl while she was walking home from work, California police say.
A month after Briana Soto died, Long Beach police released a video of a suspect in her killing, according to an April 30 news release.
“I’m the father of a daughter, I’m a husband to a wife, I’m a public servant to the community, and this is devastating for this family, as it would be for any of us,” Chief Wally Hebeish said at a news conference announcing the video’s release, KCAL News reported. “It is unfortunate, it is tragic.”
Briana’s mother, Ana Morales, told NBC Los Angeles that her daughter was walking home from work, about a mile away from their apartment, the evening of March 26.
Morales told the outlet she was on the phone with her daughter as she walked home but hung up just before she heard gunshots outside their apartment.
“Moments after hanging up, she was shot and murdered just steps away from her home,” Hebeish said, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reported.
Police said they believe the suspect fled the area right after the shooting.
Briana was taken to a hospital in critical condition, where she died days later, according to police. She died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office.
“I never imagined that (the gunshots) were for her,” Morales told NBC Los Angeles in Spanish.
The video released by police “shows the suspect walking in the area prior to the” shooting.
The man was “dressed in all dark attire with a mask over his head,” police said.
“Someone undoubtedly knows this suspect or recognizes the individual in the video,” Hebeish said, KTLA 5 news reported. “Someone might even recall a person who was acting strange or unusual the night of March 26.”
Police said they are investigating a motive for the shooting.
“There’s nothing to indicate that Briana was anything more than an innocent victim walking home from work,” Hebeish said, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reported.
Briana was a senior at Poly High School, the Long Beach Post reported.
“Briana is very kind, she loves going out, she is very smart and loving,” a GoFundMe says. “She has the best smile ever ... she loves receiving flowers and doing her makeup, she is the best sister, friend, daughter and granddaughter.”
Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to contact police at 562-570-7244.
This story was originally published May 1, 2024 at 10:43 AM with the headline "17-year-old fatally shot walking home from work, CA cops say. Search is on for suspect."
