Murder charges against a 34-year-old Long Beach man accused of killing a 17-year-old high school senior just steps from her home in March of this year were announced Thursday.
Prosecutors with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office allege that Troy Lamar Fox shot and killed Briana Soto on March 26 as she was walking home after finishing her shift at McDonalds.
The teen was walking near the intersection of 11th Street and Lewis Avenue at around 8:30 p.m. and was talking on the phone to her mother when Fox opened fire.
“It was her siblings who found her with their mother, so I couldn’t even imagine what they had to go through seeing her on the ground like that,” said Michelle Fierro, a neighbor.
Though the 34-year-old fled the scene, investigators were able to use DNA, video and cellphone evidence to link him to the shooting.
Fox is also accused in an April 9 shooting in an alley near Pine Avenue toward 14th Street, according to a news release from the L.A. DA’s office.
Authorities say in that case, the 34-year-old exited a vehicle armed with a rifle and fired multiple shots at a vehicle with four minors inside.
He was arrested on Sept. 11 in connection with the fatal shooting of Soto and the April 9 shooting while he was already in custody for an unrelated weapons violation.
“Briana Soto, a promising high school senior, was just steps from her home when she was tragically gunned down for no reason,” District Attorney Gascón said. “She was eagerly looking forward to celebrating her 18th birthday and senior prom and instead, her family and our community are left to grieve an unimaginable loss. No parent should ever have to endure such a heartbreaking tragedy. We stand with them in their sorrow, and we’re committed to seeking justice for their daughter and keeping a dangerous individual off the street.”
Fox, who is being held on $6 million bail, has been charged with the murder of Soto and four counts of willful, deliberated and premeditated murder attempted murder for the April 9 shooting.
He has pleaded not guilty on all counts and is scheduled to appear in court again on Sept. 24.
If convicted on all counts, he could face life in prison.
Murder charges against a 34-year-old Long Beach man accused of killing a 17-year-old high school senior just steps from her home in March of this year were announced Thursday. Prosecutors with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office allege that Troy Lamar Fox shot and killed Briana Soto on March 26 as she was […]
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