Man arrested in connection with death of 17-year-old Briana Soto in Long Beach

Police have arrested a man in connection with the deadly shooting of 17-year-old Briana Soto as she walked home from work in Long Beach in March. 

The suspect, now identified as 34-year-old Troy Lamar Fox, is believed to be the gunman who shot Soto in the upper body on March 26 at around 8:30 p.m. near the intersection of 11th Street and Lewis Avenue, according to the Long Beach Police Department. 

Soto was hospitalized in critical condition following the shooting and died four days later. 

Police say that Fox was arrested after they were able to locate DNA evidence, as well as video and cellphone evidence that tied him to the incident. He was already in custody for an unrelated weapons violation when he was transferred to Long Beach City Jail on Friday. 

He remains behind bars and is being held in lieu of $2 million bail, police said. They believe that he is also connected to two other crimes that happened in months prior to his arrest. 

On April 9, police were sent to the 1300 block of Pine Avenue for response to reports of shots fired at three juveniles and an adult inside of a car in the area. They believe he fired those shots. 

Read more: Long Beach police release suspect video, asking for help to find shooter of 17-year-old

Three months later, on July 7, police again responded to Pine Avenue, near 14th Street, after receiving calls about firearms inside of a car in the area. At this time, both Fox and an unidentified juvenile suspect were located and arrested for possessing firearms, both of which were prohibited from doing so. Investigators discovered six firearms during this incident. 

"Briana Soto was just 17 years old when she was tragically taken away from her family by a violent individual willing to commit such a reprehensible and brazen act of violence," said LBPD Chief Wally Hebeish in a statement. "Briana's death has left her family devastated and has impacted our department immensely. The detectives, officers, and professional staff assigned to this investigation have utilized every available resource to identify and apprehend this suspect, who we believe is responsible for Briana's murder, as well as two other gun-related crimes in our community. The suspect has demonstrated a willingness to inflict harm on others and we will be working closely with our partners throughout the criminal justice system to ensure Briana and her family receive the justice they deserve."

Police say that Fox as on post-release community supervision for unlawfully possessing a firearm at the time of the shooting and that he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest that was issued in Nov. 2023 for violating the terms of his release. 

Anyone who knows more about the incident is asked to contact LBPD homicide detectives at (562) 570-7244.